Posted Apr 18th 2007 5:30PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News
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.
Posted Apr 4th 2007 12:00PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News
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-winningXMB, 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.
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.
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.
Posted Jan 22nd 2007 5:00PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News
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?
Posted Jan 10th 2007 10:25AM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News
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.
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!
Remote Play really is quite an amazing feature, for those of you with PLAYSTATION 3s. PSP GadgetZ took this lovely direct-feed video of the PSP accessing the PS3's XMB, and it's amazing how quick and seamless the transition is. The video shows you the PS3's impressive Photo slideshow playback, and music visualizations (which easily trump the PSP's new visualizations). It also shows you how videos play with absolutely no lag or loading at all. Wow! I'm very impressed. The PSP really has become a "virtual PS3." Now, how do I get a PLAYSTATION 3 without selling one of my body parts?
[Update 1:Gizmodo unfortunately tells us that the PS3 is non-functional while in Remote Play mode. What? I hope Sony fixes this in a future firmware upgrade. You would think with the massive power of Cell, it can send a signal to the PSP AND do other things.]
Sony really dropped the ball early on in the PSP's life when there was no official media software available. However, Sony finally came through when they released the PSP's Media Manager, but like many other available software programs, it had problems, too. Well, Sony is giving it another shot with Media Manager 2, and CNET has had a chance to take it for spin.
Positives
The new interface is "pretty stylish and sleekly designed."
Better access to system's multimedia capabilities.
Ability to transfer word documents and view them in HTML.
Negatives
Most of the functionality is available in other freeware programs.
Somewhat high system requirements.
Can't transfer copy-protected DVD's or audio files.
Won't encode at 368x208 size.
Overall, CNET gave Media Manager 2 a 6.3 and said if you have a decent understanding of how to run a computer, you'll be better off with a third-party software, such as PSP Video 9. While it looks like Sony didn't do much better with its latest media software incarnation, its release really begs the question "Do we really need it at this point?"
I manage to do all my file transfers and video encoding through freeware just fine, so I see no reason why anyone should spend the $17 to download the software or especially the $25 for the boxed version. But if you really feel the need to pick this up, you can buy it here.
Our sister site Engadget has been giving its readers an extensive look into the upcoming PLAYSTATION 3. We've seen the sleek PSP-inspired XMB of the console before, but this goes into a lot more depth about the system's functionality. Interestingly, a Sony employee talks casually about a new Flash player in the PSP browser in a future, unreleased firmware, at around 12:20 in the video. With the firmware upgrade, PSP owners will be able to watch Flash videos used on sites like YouTube, and here at PSP Fanboy.
This makes us very happy. When this firmware upgrade happens, you'll be able to watch all the videos we put up here when you access PSP Fanboy through the PSP (via m.pspfanboy.com). Hopefully, the PS3 launch later this month will reveal even more functionality for our system.
Sony's been hyping up PlayStation 3's connectivity with the PSP. Game Watch took this picture of the PS3's XMB, revealing a happy PSP icon in the Network menu called "Remote Play". As previously stated, you'll be able to stream data onto your PSP from your PS3, such as video and game content. For example, if you want to throw one of the most expensive console multiplayer games ever, you could wirelessly connect four PSPs to your PSP and start playing (that's $1400 of hardware, baby! Of course, this is just speculation, and will most likely never happen). PSP-Vault also goes into some speculation, hoping for the ability to stream Blu-Ray movies to the PSP, and UMD movies to the PS3. The possibilties are endless, and we hope that Sony takes advantage of that huge potential.
PSP fans better start saving up: and they better save up a lot. The $500 PS3 does not feature wi-fi capabilties, so for PSP-PS3 connectivity to be fully realized, you'll have to go all the way.
We all know the PlayStation 3 will have the same XMB as the PSP. However, there are some very pretty improvements. Phil Harrison demoed the console's photo ability and it is absolutely beautiful. Unlike the PSP, the PS3 can manipulate your photographs and make them appear as physical photos in a 3D environment. With upgradeable firmware, the PS3 will be able to have even more functionality as well.
The browser will also have multiple tabs, a la Firefox. The console will also support one universal login for online games (according to the 1UP Show). Hopefully, the improvements made to the XMB on the PlayStation 3 will find their way over to the PSP in a future firmware version.
Haven't you wanted to launch homebrew games directly from the XMB's "GAME" folder? No need for eLoaders, or TIFF exploits. Well, Dark Alex has come to the rescue. His latest homebrew solution allows you to boot newly-coded programs directly from the XMB. Pretty cool, huh? This homebrew will write to your PSP's flash memory, meaning there's a small chance that you can brick your system. Make sure you're willing to take that risk before running this app!
Unfortunately, the "standard" homebrew that's out there right now won't work with this method as they are in "elf" format. New homebrew will have to be developed in "prx" format to run using this method.
We've been reporting on new homebrew on a nearly daily basis ever since the libtiff exploit was discovered. There are two more games to report about today. First is Penguin Scramble, which has you saving penguins Al Gore style. As with all of these TIFF games, it should be fairly simple to play.
Another addition to the ever-growing collection of TIFF games is Space Invaders. This classic arcade game has you fighting off an incoming alien invasion, and as an episode of Futurama has shown us: the skills you learn from this game can be life-saving.
Finally, we have an application to present to you: Font Hack Installer, which lets you change the fonts used on the XMB screen [screenshot]. While not revolutionary, it's nice to see more inventive ideas coming for users with 2.80 firmware. As always, save the appropriate files to your PSP's PHOTO folder to launch these applications.
Posted Sep 7th 2006 10:05PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News
HD Beat is one of my favorite blogs here at Weblogs Inc, and they recently called something "a bigger revolution in home theater than the Nintendo Wii controller is to gaming." Can you guess what they were talking about? They're referring to the XMB interface, but adapted for the home theatre environment. As you know, the PlayStation 3 will also be using a similar design to the menu we've come to love on our PSPs and the upcoming STR-DA5200ES (catchy name) will take the idea one step further. CNET has tons of pictures of the menu in action, and I have to say: it looks pretty sweet.
Dark_Alex's hack of Sony's official 
