QuickJump QuickPeek 11: Of PSP Slim FW dumping, Chuck Norris in a DBZ movie, and new iPods galore
(Editor’s Note: And a resounding “w0ot!” from the entire QuickJump community is heard throughout the blogosphere! This week’s news items pack so much punch, we might as well have hired Roy Jones Jr. to write this edition of QuickPeek. Boxing legends aside, let us, the QJ team, give a resounding thank you to everyone for keeping their browsers glued right here! And to all the news submitters and tipsters, we’re giving you guys the electronic 1s and 0s equivalent of a handshake and a pat on the back! You guys deserve to be called a legend in your own right!)
Welcome to the eleventh issue of QuickJump QuickPeek! The month of September just started and it’s already rolling in some considerably hard-hitting news. We’re talking about hard-hitting in the sense that would make you feel as if you just got run over by a truck carrying seventeen 2-ton elephants on a cobblestone avenue. And just after you woke up with a hang over too.
It’s time to send in the clowns 2-ton elephants and bring in this week’s recap of all the magic that’s been going on. We’re delivering the hottest news in the gaming industry as well as what’s been going on in the technosphere. And right off the bat, we’d want to say that there’s been a lot of good news for all parties concerned this week! It’s time to go join the marching band; on with the updates!
Check out the whole issue by clicking the Full Article link below!
Originally posted on Sept. 8, 2007 at 13:01.
(Editor’s Note: And a resounding “w0ot!” from the entire QuickJump community is heard throughout the blogosphere! This week’s news items pack so much punch, we might as well have hired Roy Jones Jr. to write this edition of QuickPeek. Boxing legends aside, let us, the QJ team, give a resounding thank you to everyone for keeping their browsers glued right here! And to all the news submitters and tipsters, we’re giving you guys the electronic 1s and 0s equivalent of a handshake and a pat on the back! You guys deserve to be called a legend in your own right!)
Welcome to the eleventh issue of QuickJump QuickPeek! The month of September just started and it’s already rolling in some considerably hard-hitting news. We’re talking about hard-hitting in the sense that would make you feel as if you just got run over by a truck carrying seventeen 2-ton elephants on a cobblestone avenue. And just after you woke up with a hang over too.
It’s time to send in the clowns 2-ton elephants and bring in this week’s recap of all the magic that’s been going on. We’re delivering the hottest news in the gaming industry as well as what’s been going on in the technosphere. And right off the bat, we’d want to say that there’s been a lot of good news for all parties concerned this week! It’s time to go join the marching band; on with the updates!
PSP: The PSP Slim is nigh! Homebrew scene hits the ground running!
What’s on every PSP owner’s mind right now? It’s the PSP Slim and Lite. And believe us when we tell you, this week isn’t very “slim” on the news side of things. It’s actually pretty “phat” with a chock full of good news. Now whether you’re Lite-toting or Phat-equipped, we’re all still united under the one big community that is homebrew, and at the end of the day, this is what we hold close to our hearts.
We first start with news from just the other day: turns out that the PSP Slim’s firmware 3.60 has already been dumped (pardon the toilet humor, but just in case you didn’t know, that’s really what it’s called). Yep, it’s just been extracted from the flash0 directory of the Slim and it’s been done by none other than Mathieulh, with the help of – lo and behold! – Dark AleX.
As of writing, Mathlieuh hasn’t revealed the specific procedure of how he was able to pull this feat off, but if this is any consolation, the important point here is that he’s proven that hacking the PSP Slim is possible.
What makes this bit of news even more exciting is the prospect of Dark AleX finally going out of retirement. Especially after Fanjita announced of his own resignation just last week, DAX’s return couldn’t have come at a better time! But has he returned, really? Well, Mathlieuh did mention that DAX helped him out but Math also emphasized that this does not automatically mean that DAX is officially back in the scene.
Aww snap. Regardless, it’s still good news. The PSP Slim hasn’t been officially released in all regions yet, and already, the homebrew scene is picking up!
Link: Homebrew development: Sony PSP Slim’s firmware 3.60 dumped
Another homebrew household name has gotten back into the scene as well, care of the PSP Slim. 0okm has dropped some rather revealing details about the new board that comes with the Slim. So, without further ado: World, say hello to TA-085! Here’s the lowdown:
- PCB Ver. : TA-085
- CPU : CXD29758GG
- Media Engine : CXD5029
Details as to how much memory and where it’s embedded is difficult to determine, despite it being no secret that 4 Mebibytes (mega binary bytes) of DRAM are also embedded in former PSP systems, such as TA-082s. The Media Engine chip, specifications unknown as of press time, had the chip ID CXD5029 printed on its surface though.
Where will this lead us? Well, knowing is half the battle! With the Slim’s FW dumped and the board identified, the prospect of getting a downgrader and/or custom firmware is just too good to be true!
Link: PSP Slim’s bare essentials: Welcome TA-085
On to other matters, you guys might want to take heed: the Pandora’s Battery doesn’t seem to be working as it should be on the PSP Slim and Lite. Popular opinion holds that the reason for the incompatibility could be because Sony placed the necessary files in a different location. Either that or Sony has put a lock on the files which only they can access.
Someone’s posted a video online of the anomaly. You can check it out in the link below. Meanwhile do note that, when the Pandora’s Battery was first released, Prometheus Project originally intended it to be for the PSP Slim. Too bad it got leaked ahead of time, and so the team had to officially release it. What does this mean? The Pandora’s Battery we have right now might be a bit too premature for the Slim, but we could expect the real deal sooner or later if we cross our fingers tight enough.
Link: Pandora’s Battery not working with PSP Slim?
The PSP homebrew and hacking scene might be on a roll here with some big news, there is still some cause for bitterness. We are all already aware about Sony’s official stance on the homebrew scene for the PlayStation Portable. The company’s actions suggest that they don’t want the community to continually mess up with their creation.
It just so happens that Sony has just brought the battle to the PlayStation Underground Community by officially banning all homebrew-related discussions on the said board. Much to say, this did not surprise most members of the community. Certain topics that were banned include:
- Custom firmware
- Themes, applications, custom bootup animations/sounds, and other materials made available only with use of homebrew programs that may be used to aid or facilitate copyright violations (such as Eboots, ripping software, decryption software)
- Debugging software
- Programs designed to emulate firmware
- TIFF applications
- Programs designed to provide for modification of the PSP code or firmware, or that would allow for any exploitation of the PSP® system firmware flashing software
- Applications designed to bypass PSP system and game security features
- Emulators, ROMs, CSO, ISOs, or any other unauthorized copies of copyrighted material
- Software or hardware designed to aid or facilitate in cheating
Link: SCEA locks up homebrew talks at PlayStation Underground
So that’s it from us this week! The dawning of a new age sure is upon us! Right now, anything can happen. Will old-timer homebrew heroes resurface for the Slim-Lite revolution, or will new saviors lead the homebrew army this time around? Meanwhile, the God of War himself, Kratos, could be showing his goatee’d face sometime soon too, y’know…
– QJ.Net PSP Team
PlayStation 3: Flying high with a firmware update, remote play, and rising sales
Sony’s Cell-powered Monster has its fair share of explosive news this week. We’ve been madly trying to *UPDATE!* our articles, and if you’ve noticed some news items this week, almost every single one of them has that *UPDATE* tag in their titles. Consider it a sign of our continuous dedication to keep you guys in the know – by the hour, by the minute!
Headlining the PS3 blogosphere this week is news of the latest firmware update: PS3 FW 1.92 has finally rolled out. (Oh yeah, this certain article’s actually won our “QJ’s Most Updated Article FTW” award, just so you know). There’s definitely been a lot of changes incorporated into Sony’s latest firmware update, all of which you can read and look into via the link below.
But on a side note, FW 1.92 seems to be getting some flak from the PS3 users. People have been complaining about some connection issues ever since they’ve clocked up their system. Some of the more common problems revolved around the PlayStation Network and Warhawk.
What’s the good news? It appears that Sony via PR has also picked up wind of these issues, and is already moving to make a fix. Snaps for the quick recovery, Sony!
Link: PS3s strap up: Firmware 1.92 rolls out with complete changelog
Link: Sony on PS3’s 1.92 issues: We’re working on it
Another wonderful surprise this week for the shiny black console – and its older handheld brother at that – is confirmation of Lair working on the PSP via Remote Play. The news scorched our blogs during the start of the week, and triggered a whole slew of Lair-related clippings flapping on the side.
People believe that this certain discovery is what Factor 5 simply included in the game – without any form of announcement, mind you – as some form of Easter Egg for the fans. Well, ok, not so much an Easter Egg as it is a Dragon Egg in this case, but you get the yolk joke. Blargh. We fails.
Link: Confirmed: Lair works on PSP via Remote Play
News of Sony’s black box rising in sales wasn’t anywhere near scarce this week. We’ve heard of two bits of info that talks of the PS3 rising in sales during August, on of which hails from Japan where Sony is catching up to Nintendo. Wii to PS3 sales are now 3-to-1, whereas just a few months back, it was 6-to-1.
Over in our very home of the brave, Amazon just recently hailed the PS3 as king with the Best-Selling Console crown. In the list of best popular items in the Video Game category, Xbox 360’s Halo 3 came out as the winner, with Sony’s 60GB SKU console ranking at second place. The Wii console is listed in the third rank, just beneath the above items. Falling into 21st place is Microsoft‘s Xbox with 20GB hard drive.
Link: Sony rising: Wii outsells PS3 3-to-1 in Japan
Link: PS3 now Amazon’s best-selling console
Everyone’s starting to warm up to the PS3 despite what a lot would deem as an “exorbitant” price tag. Good for them, and good for you.
But whoa. Before you do go and dish your dough to finally get into the Cell, it just might be better to wait after all. That’s if you want to risk your money on what certain analysts are saying. According to Michael Pachter, we just might see a price cut looming right in time for the holidays! And not only that, but a price cut on the 80GB SKU unit of the PS3! Jesse Divinich of simExchange concurs:
After examining more closely the hardware sales of the PS3 over the last 6 months we have come to the conclusion that the PS3 cannot remain competitive in the current North American environment at its current retail offering at $499 and $599. To remain competitive against the other consoles, the Sony PS3 would have to reduce its 80GB SKU by $100 down to $499.
Link: Happy holidays: 80GB PS3 for US$ 499 possible, say analysts
Forget pre-Christmas predictions. With all these good news, it seems as if it’s already Christmas for the Sony camp already. Wanna peek at a little gift left by Guerilla Games under the tree? Here’s a hint: it starts with a letter “K” and rhymes with an “illzone 2 demo.”
– QJ.Net PS3 Team
Xbox 360: Texan Tourneys for Halo 3 and.. did someone say “Plasmids included?”
Lots of game-related updates this week for Microsoft’s online powerhouse. We’ll give you a couple of guesses which games have been the talk of the town lately, and we’re pretty sure you get some brownie points for getting the top two or three. Meanwhile, keep your eyes peeled on September 10… We smell an XBL downtime coming!
In anticipation of finally getting to finish the fight (dang, that tagline just never gets old does it?), a Halo 3 tourney’s already been scheduled. And to think that the game hasn’t even been released yet!
It’s the first major tournament for Halo 3, and it’s going to be held during the G-Kon 2 on September 29. My my. So early after the release of the game on retail, and already a tourney? Man. Beta testers sure would get ann advantage, but hey!, you never know! Here’s a little bit of a tip though, to ensure that you get to play, bring your own controller!
Link: First major Halo 3 tourney at G-Kon 2
For our friends in Europe, rejoice. The Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare beta is finally going to hit UK and Ireland in a few days’ time. All of you guys interested in joining the festivities are invited to register at the CharlieOscarDelta.com website. And you better do so quick because the Beta tokens available are limited.
QJ.Net’s very own Tim Y. is our COD 4 Beta player representative, and if this Beta isn’t bound to regional servers, you might get a chance to frag (or get fragged by) him.
Link: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Beta hits UK and Ireland
Another title continuously kept tabs on is BioShock, and this week brings a rather surprising update for the fans. Much to say, the patch update started sending people up the walls with a massive dose of glitches. Supposedly. As some of our commenters point out, it seems to be a hit or miss problem.
2K Games was able to respond to some of these issues raised, and via The Major, their explanation reads:
Update improves stability when loading autosaves and overall game stability, corrects audio during title menu loading, and addresses AI behaviors regarding use of health stations.
Link: BioShock Xbox 360 patch causing problems?
Link: BioShock 360 surprise update explained
Listen up, gamertagged users. Microsoft announced this week that there will be a service upgrade for Xbox Live starting 2:01 PDT on September 10 and will run for approximately four hours. What does this mean? XBL will have a downtime. No official explanation has been announced but the common assumption is that this is in preparation for Halo 3’s release.
Link: Xbox Live service upgrade on September 10
Just two more weeks for Halo 3‘s release eh? We’ll definitely be counting down to D-Day, so stay tuned for more news this coming week!
– QJ.Net Xbox 360 Team
Nintendo Wii: Taking a piece of the pie, with petitions and 16-players to boot
The Big N’s motion-friendly party centerpiece is getting its full course meal this week with a “thrills and spills” salad, some “highs and lows” fillet, and a healthy side-order of “speculation.”
To top things off, Nintendo continues its dominance on the Japanese software sales charts. In the latest data from Media Create, there was a total of 16 titles for Nintendo DS and Wii video game platforms in the top 20. The recent results have pegged Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates and Phoenix Wright 3 for the DS on the number two and three spots respectively, while the Wii boasts its Mario Party 8 title at number four.
Link: Nintendo still dominates Japanese software charts; 1 PS3, 2 PSP titles in top 20
Following recent developments of a supposed petition to get a Resident Evil title on the PSP, a new online document is asking Capcom. Common sentiment in our comments section holds that it might cost the developers an arm and a limb to port the same graphical quality of the PS3/360 title onto the Wii… but for a zombie game, those arms and limbs are more than enough to come by!
So here’s to hoping! If Ada Wong and Jill Valentine want to go to Sony’s handheld, then what’s stopping Chris Redfield from getting to play on his Wii? The zombie horde of petitioners have, as of writing, already grown to an epic number of 20,000 signatures!
Link: Resident Evil 5 Wii edition petition: 11,606 signatures and counting
So Metroid just got released. And right now, everyone’s just waiting for Smash and Galaxy. But if you’re looking forward to titles going to be released as far out as 2008, then we’re pretty sure you’re getting your gears shifted in anticipation for Mario Kart Wii. And we’re pretty sure that you, like us, also started doing double takes when it was earlier revealed that the game is capable of supporting 16 players online simultaneously.
Well, too bad that it’s nothing more than “healthy speculation.” What everyone took as news was printed in a recent issue of UK’s Official Nintendo Magazine. But as the Editor explains:
The details printed in Official Nintendo Magazine 21 regarding Mario Kart Wii were healthy speculation on our part and are in no way an official announcement from Nintendo. We are sorry if we have misled anyone. We do not set out to mislead our readers.
Oh well. It was fun while it lasted. However, this doesn’t automatically mean it won’t happen. We can still hope for 16-player support, right?
Link: Published Mario Kart Wii details pure speculation
The latest version of Michael Descher’s MyTunesRSS app is also out. For those who aren’t familiar, MyTunesRSS is a Java program that lets you access your iTunes library through a local network or through the Internet. The program uses a simple web interface that allows you to download songs, so it’s easy to use.
Since the program is based on Java, it can be run on any platform supporting Java 1.5, including the Sony PSP (if your PSP has the Java program). But for all intents and purposes, this works so well with the Wii too. Oh, what the world would be like without RSS technology… Download links are available via the link below!
Link: MyTunesRSS v3.0.4
And that just about wraps up everything for th — oh? Huh? What? Has hell frozen over without our knowing? Is it really possible that we’ve gone through this week’s QuickPeek edition without a Super Smash Bros. Brawl update? Hmm… Nah. Not really. So hush up now before the editorial cops start hounding us for sneaking in that extra link… *wink*
– QJ.Net Nintendo Wii Team
General Gaming: Because Chuck Norris is a Super Saiyan and Darth Vader likes thought-controlled games
There’s definitely a variety of interesting news cropping up this week to make gamers from all four corners of the world start drooling.
For one, it was recently reported that 20th Century Fox will be claiming rights to create a live-action Dragon Ball Z movie. Yeah, you’ve read the manga, loved the anime, and got hooked on the games, but are you ready to see Son Goku and his friends take on the big screen?
The movie will reportedly have a budget of no less than US$ 100 million, and will begin production soon with no details as to when it’s projected to be shown. Fortunately for you guys, we here at QJ.Net have taken the liberty to draft our very own casting list. Now these are just our suggestions for Fox, and in no way could be reflected in the final casting list of the movie (hopefully):
- Goku played by a blond Steven Segal (as long as he’s in the movie he’s happy)
- Kuririn played by MiniMe (for height reasons)
- Majin Buu played by a fat Jessica Alba (…don’t ask)
- Tenshin-han played by Vin Diesel (he’s got the hair – or lack thereof – aspect covered)
- Mr. Satan played by John Malkovich (because he’s eeeevil)
- everyone else… played by Chuck Norris (because he’s Chuck Norris)
What’s your take on it? We’re pretty sure you got your own lineup of Hollywood celebrities to stir into the mix. You’re invited to add to our list by commenting below! And sorry, we won’t accept any list without a Chuck Norris in it.
Link: Dragon Ball Z going to the big screen
Speaking of super powers… Games controlled by simply thinking? It might actually already be possible come 2008. The research is already there actually, but due to some minor inconveniences, scientists doing the experiments are experiencing some… mental blocks. They discovered that users are sometimes forced to slow down their brain waves to play, and they consequently have trouble focusing afterwards. As a scientist puts it:
Imagine that somebody uses a game with slow brain-wave activity and then drives a car while still in that state. You could have an accident. I think it’s a rare possibility, but it should be tested before people do this.
The technology is still in its early stages and some scientists doubt we’ll be able to play complex games with it this soon. More like old school ones like Tetris. Maybe Arkanoid? Still, it’s pretty cool and the companies say they may be able to release the tech by 2008.
Link: Thought-controlled games as early as 2008?
Probably by next week, we can finally get some formal announcements from Fox about the DBZ movie casting list. We’re sure to bring you guys the news if Chuck Norris accepts the offer to play his respective roles in the movie.
Honorable Mention: iGadgets of the next-gen, news iPods revealed
After much speculation and rumor surrounding the new line of iPods, the moment we’ve all been waiting for is here! Good things are finally coming their way towards Apple iGadget fans: Steve Jobs already announced the newfangled wonderful things in Apple’s media event!
Top of the list is the new iPod Touch: it’s same size as the iPhone, with a 3.5 inch screen. It will also feature the same UI that made the iPhone extremely popular. Wi-Fi? Yes, there is! You can even use the iPod Touch to browse the net like iPhones with Safari. The iPod Touch battery life clocks in at a sweet 22 hours audio, and 5 hours video playback. How about the price? The 8GB flavor will be worth US$ 299, while 16GB will be priced at US$ 399.
There’s also the new iPod Nano: it has a 2-inch screen, the same QVGA resolution as the existing Nanos, enhanced user interface (with the same cover flow browsing as iPhone!), and 3 new games. The new iPod Nano’s battery life allows you to play for 24 hours with audio and 5 full hours of video playback. Choose your poison: 4GB units cost US$ 149 and 8GB clock in at US$ 199.
For those wanting to go back to their iPod roots, there’s the iPod Classic: it looks like the original iPod (though not as big), only in metallic finishes and has the same colored screen as the Nano. This baby is available in 80GB, with a battery life of 30 hours of audio and 6 hours of video, or 160GB, with 40 hours of audio and 7 for video.
Link: New iGadgets finally unveiled: New iPod Nano, Red Shuffle, iPod Touch
Comment of the Week: All bricked up
The Planeteers may not have successfully summoned Captain Planet this week, but there’s been quite a lot of good comments out there through the week. This week though, we highlight a very humorous comment by an unregistered passerby on the topic of thought-controlled games (as linked above). The humor here is very subtle, but in its subtlety made is that much more LOL-worthy.
Originally posted on Sept. 8, 2007 at 13:01.