Posts with tag psp
Posted Apr 10th 2008 12:30PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News
2007 was a pretty incredible year for PSP, wasn't it? It featured some fantastic games, such as
Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow,
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions,
Jeanne d'Arc, and more. Unfortunately, too few actually went out to
buy these games.
Next-Gen compiled a list of the bestselling games from 2007, and PSP exclusives managed to get
zero games on their list of 100 games. (Data is compiled from the US and UK.
Japan is not included.) That means no PSP games managed to break 460k sales (the total of the 100th ranked game) in all of 2007.
Is
piracy making a significant dent on PSP software sales? We'd say "yes." No wonder Sony is
asking about the homebrew situation; and no wonder the PSP library for the rest of the year is so slim -- publishers have been burned.
[Via
P3F]
Posted Apr 10th 2008 12:15AM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News, Homebrew
Do you use homebrew? If so, do you feel like a rebel? Does it impress your friends? Or do you do it just to see if you can "get away with it"? These are questions Sony recently posed in a survey it sent to various PSP owners. It asks in a very straightforward manner why people hack their PSP systems.
Earlier, we reported some
distressing figures on the state of PSP piracy, and we're hoping that Sony attempts to correct the problem in some way. We're assuming the results of this survey will influence some key decisions in the future regarding system security.
[Via
PlayStation Boards]
Posted Apr 9th 2008 9:15PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News
Remember how PSP outsold every system combined last week in Japan? Well, it didn't managed to pull off that feat again, but PSP still had an incredible week in Japan. The
numbers should more than do the talking:
- PSP - 113,000
- DS - 52,000
- Wii - 46,000
- PS3 - 11,000
- PS2 - 10,000
- 360 - 2,300
Seems like PSP is the
new DS, no? At least in terms of Japanese hardware sales. Let's see if this post-
Monster Hunter sales boom can continue.
Posted Apr 7th 2008 8:40PM by Jem Alexander
Filed under: News
That's right, another firmware update - and less than a month after the
last one, too. Whether you're a fan of frequent updates or not you won't be able to enjoy this latest revision to its fullest without access to a PS3. A miniature update, by all accounts, that adds two PS3-based features to your favorite handheld. Eric Lempel details v3.95, which will be "made available shortly" on the
PlayStation.Blog. The update contains the following:
- While playing PSone games on your PSP, you can now customize how the buttons are assigned by going to [Controller Settings] > [Assign Buttons] and select [Custom]
- You can now quit Remote Play and choose to turn off your PS3 or leave it on after quitting. This is useful if you are performing a download and want to quit Remote Play, but still want your download to continue on the PS3. Select [Quit and Turn Off the PS3 System] or [Quit Without Turning Off the PS3 System] from [Quit Remote Play] when you press the HOME button on the PSP system.
[
Update: Firmware is now available through Network Update.]
Posted Apr 7th 2008 6:30PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: Peripherals
PSP is quite popular over in Korea, and a number of high quality accessories and peripherals have been released on that side of the Pacific. Nuri Tech is bringing over some of these Korean PSP accessories over to the US, and we have to admit that we're quite pleased.
The Joytron PSP skin case, available for $20, is a surprisingly easy case to install. It comes in four easily attachable parts that simply snap on together. There are instructions included, but it's rather easy to figure things out without them. If I can install this sucker, so can you.
The case will obviously add a bit of girth to your system, but thankfully, it doesn't make too great of an impact on its depth and weight. What we're curious about is how well the case will survive serious falls. We doubt it'll stand up to the challenge, but it should do more than enough to help protect your system from minor everyday scratches. The included stand is a simple, but effective freebie that we appreciated.
We'll be giving away some freebies from Nuritech in the coming days. Until then, check out their
official website for more info.
Posted Apr 2nd 2008 7:25PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News
To say that PSP had a good week in Japan would be an understatement. Yes, while it rarely beats Nintendo's best-selling two screened handheld, this week was one for the records: not only did PSP outsell DS, it sold every other console on the market
combined. Sales were obviously spirited away by the release of
Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G, which can be seen in the hands on busy PSP owners in the Tokyo metro.
- PSP : about 139k
- DSL : about 57k
- Wii : about 49k
- PS3 : about 13k
- PS2 : about 9.8k
- 360 : about 2.8k
[Via
Digg]
Posted Mar 31st 2008 4:00PM by Majed Athab
Filed under: Hacks, Mods
It is sort of baffling why anyone would need to mod a PSP in order to have two analog nubs. Why isn't one enough? Is playing
Me & My Katamari just that difficult? Or maybe there is some sort of massage therapy simulation game out there that requires the most accurate symmetrical touch scheme? Perhaps a
Karate Kid game -- wax on with the left nub and wax off with the right nub. Well, whether it's useful or not, someone still made it.
LordNico of
AcidMods made this slim dual analog stick PSP. The second analog nub replicates the functions of the regular four-buttoned pad. While it's a neat trick to pull off, it's something completely unnecessary. We suggest just to check out the dual nubs in action in the clip after the break and not try it yourself.
[Via
Engadget]
Continue reading Mod for slim PSP adds second analog stick
Posted Mar 29th 2008 8:15PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: God of War
No Wal-Mart! Perhaps trying to capitalize on the recent announcement of Sony's
real PSP
God of War bundle, Wal-Mart has created its own "exclusive" bundle for those interested in picking one up.
Not only is it hideous, but it actually costs more than Sony's upcoming official bundle, doesn't include any extras (such as UMD movie, downloadable game). But, unlike the official bundle, this is available now.
[Via
GT Forums]
Gallery: God of War PSP-2000
Posted Mar 28th 2008 11:00AM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News
On its online instruction manuals, Sony Computer Entertainment has a few images for use as labels. There's one for the original PSP-1000 series (click
here), and another for the current PSP-2000 series (click
here). However, curiously there's also a placeholder image for the logical next-step: the PSP-3000 series (click
here).
The availability of the PSP-3000 image on the PlayStation site shouldn't come as a signal that a redesign is impending -- it's clear that Sony plans on revising the hardware through its supposed ten year life cycle. However, it does seem to display a bit
too much forethought from the web designers that created and uploaded this image. How long will it take before we hear rumblings of yet another PSP redesign?
[Thanks, GSK!]
Posted Mar 27th 2008 3:00PM by Majed Athab
Filed under: News
What is the world coming to? This next story of PSP theft is a true tearjerker. Kyle Springs, a seven year old cancer patient on his way to a chemotherapy appointment in Dallas gets his PSP stolen. Not only that, but his school homework, medicine, and medical records were also taken. Worst of all, it happened the day before his birthday. Tragic.
There is some good news, however. Officers from the Dallas Police Department presented Kyle with a new PSP, and also raised more than $1,000 to pay for the lost medication. The PSP was important to Kyle; his mother stated that videogames helped alleviate the pain her son's condition inflicted.
While Kyle's story is heartbreaking, it does raise some valid questions. Why is PSP theft seemingly
on the rise? And most of all, is there really anything we can do to stop it?
Posted Mar 26th 2008 11:30PM by Andrew Yoon
Three down ... seven more to go?
Sony has often touted the PlayStation brand as a long-living one. The PS1 had a lengthy life cycle, and the PS2 still goes strong today. Many thought Sony's claim that PS3 would have a ten year life cycle was a joke -- but considering Sony's track record with the PS2, we wouldn't be surprised to see Sony go for such an ambitious plan.
How will PSP remain a 10 year product? FIrmware updates and hardware revisions will undoubtedly keep the system fresh for years to come. In spite of the release of the redesigned PSP-2000, original PSP owners are still able to access many new features, and can still play all new games. John Koller told
IGN: "We've talked about the PSP being a 10 year product, but a 10 year product in the continued... how can I put this... in the continued lifecycle, so we obviously had the 1000, we have the 2000, so the PSP as it was first launched in March 2005 isn't going to the be the PSP that it ends up as in 10 years"
Posted Mar 25th 2008 6:00PM by Nick Doerr
Filed under: Interviews
As you all know, the PSP turned 3 years old recently -- and Sony's John Koller sat down with
Game Informer and talked about what's in store for the PSP now. Obviously Koller gleefully explains this has been the best year for the PSP yet, thanks to the varied games released as well as a slimmed design and price drop. He expects the fourth year of the PSP to continue this momentum.
He goes on to say how it's a unique marketing proposition due to its multiple functions in addition to being a gaming device as well as some unexpected upgrades to the handheld, like Skype support. It's consumer demand in action! A big emphasis for the coming year is more Remote Play with the PS3. We're excited to see where that goes, too. Some elements, like watching TV on the PSP can work in Japan, Koller says, but aren't possible in the US. We assume it's because we've got pretty sour bandwidth across the nation.
We can also expect some updates on a video download service for the PSP, a GPS system, camera, keyboard, original games as well as new entries of respected franchises, and of course, a few secret cards we can't know about until closer to E3. In all, it seems the PSP is shaping up to have an interesting fourth year and we're excited to see where it goes.
[Thanks, Joe!]
Posted Mar 24th 2008 3:30PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News
March 24, 2005. That was the day PSP was unleashed to the American gaming public. It's been a long and interesting ride since then. Come join us as we take a retrospective look on three years of
PSP history.
- What did the first PSP concept model look like? Find out.
- When did PSP get its internet browser? Find out.
- How quickly did the homebrew scene develop? Find out.
- What was one of Sony's worst marketing disasters? Find out.
- What importer was closed because it sold Japanese PSP systems? Find out.
- How long did it take for PSP to get its first real price drop? Find out.
- What sold 77,777 copies on day one? Find out.
Posted Mar 23rd 2008 5:00PM by Majed Athab
Filed under: Peripherals, Imports
Ever had an urge to play your PSP while in the shower or taking a bath? Yeah, us too, but we all know it's probably not a safe idea having electronic devices so close to the water. There is one solution though, and that would be a bag series called
Aquatalk.
While Aquatalk looks like a slightly upgraded ziplock baggy, it's supposed to keep your PSP waterproof. It should do so because it's covered in four layers of protective coating and has a secure anti-leak zipper seal. At 740 yen a bag (roughly seven dollars and a chunk of change), it better deliver. The bag is good for both fat and slim PSPs.
It's a pretty cool concept being able to get some gaming done while making one's self clean in the bath. We might actually give this one a try ... well, only if someone wants to lend us their PSP for an experiment. One warning though, we probably wouldn't recommend this for scuba diving; you wouldn't want to get distracted playing
Loco Roco when a shark comes to bite your head off.
Posted Mar 19th 2008 1:45PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News
Video game retailer GameStop recently held a
conference call to discuss its corporate earnings. They discussed the shortages of Wii and Xbox 360. While the 360 hardware situation will be alleviated shortly, the retailer predicts it will take six months for Wii supply to effectively meet demand. Interestingly,
GameDaily notes that "the one platform GameStop is anticipating some supply issues with is the PSP."
During the holiday season, the PSP was quite a difficult item to find. Many retail stores continued to run out of the hardware -- has supply been an issue since? It appears that sales of Sony's handheld are doing surprisingly well. A quick look at last month's
NPD shows that PSP is continuing to gain momentum.
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