QuickJump QuickPeek 12: Of PSP Slim CFWs, pre-TGS jitters, and the great exodus of anonymous commenters

(Editor’s Note: So how’s your week been? It’s been a rather busy week for everyone in the QuickJump community. Not only were there the usual big big BIG news cropping up when we least expected them in the gaming industry, but there have also been some major changes to this little slice of heaven we all call QJ.Net. We know some of you guys have been loyal readers since back in the heyday, and that’s why we’re pulling out all the stops in giving you guys a better time whenever you visit us here. You guys asked for it, and we finally got to make ends meet!)

It’s QuickJump QuickPeek’s 12th issue and we’re zooming down the Internet highway at a momentum that could wet little Matty Lovo Jr.’s pants – BTW, props for finally scoring that PS3, Matty boy! Now while everyone else is already hitting the road for this coming week’s Tokyo Game Show (starts on the 20th, all the way up to the 23rd), we’ve still got to recap what’s been going on this week. Besides. Recent developments could actually be setting the stage for the TGS without our knowing. Is so-and-such about to bring out their big guns? Are issues between so-and-so about to be settled? Are sequels, remakes, and ports about to be revealed?

Now, before we start with all the Peeking, we’ll have to sneak in some Site News that concerns everyone here in the QJ.Net community: Anonymous Commenting has now been banninated. Users are now encouraged to sign up and register – for free, mind you – in order to comment. Yep, it’s been a long time coming indeed, and hey!, everyone’s been giving some positive feedback on it too!

It’s our goal to provide not only a source of 24/7 gaming news, but be a source of intelligent conversation as well. You all can be a smart and opinionated bunch and we want to encourage that sort of behavior, not stifle it. We’re sure Captain Planet is feeling rather blue for having to go on a sudden exodus to banninator land, but it’s all for the best!

Link: QJ.NET Commenters: Anon today, gone tomorrow

What with more registered users flocking in, QJ veterans Mister Common Sense, Quixand, AoxomamoxoA, CHUCKINGROCKS, and MGSROCKS1 might have some competition cut out for them in bagging the Comment of the Week now! Who gets it in Issue 12? Sorry, no spoilers…

Click the Full Article link below to see the whole of this week’s QuickJump QuickPeek!

Originally posted on Sept 15, 2007 at 01:30PM

(Editor’s Note: So how’s your week been? It’s been a rather busy week for everyone in the QuickJump community. Not only were there the usual big big BIG news cropping up when we least expected them in the gaming industry, but there have also been some major changes to this little slice of heaven we all call QJ.Net. We know some of you guys have been loyal readers since back in the heyday, and that’s why we’re pulling out all the stops in giving you guys a better time whenever you visit us here. You guys asked for it, and we finally got to make ends meet!)

It’s QuickJump QuickPeek’s 12th issue and we’re zooming down the Internet highway at a momentum that could wet little Matty Lovo Jr.’s pants – BTW, props for finally scoring that PS3, Matty boy! Now while everyone else is already hitting the road for this coming week’s Tokyo Game Show (starts on the 20th, all the way up to the 23rd), we’ve still got to recap what’s been going on this week. Besides. Recent developments could actually be setting the stage for the TGS without our knowing. Is so-and-such about to bring out their big guns? Are issues between so-and-so about to be settled? Are sequels, remakes, and ports about to be revealed?

Now, before we start with all the Peeking, we’ll have to sneak in some Site News that concerns everyone here in the QJ.Net community: Anonymous Commenting has now been banninated. Users are now encouraged to sign up and register – for free, mind you – in order to comment. Yep, it’s been a long time coming indeed, and hey!, everyone’s been giving some positive feedback on it too!

It’s our goal to provide not only a source of 24/7 gaming news, but be a source of intelligent conversation as well. You all can be a smart and opinionated bunch and we want to encourage that sort of  behavior, not stifle it. We’re sure Captain Planet is feeling rather blue for having to go on a sudden exodus to banninator land, but it’s all for the best!

Link: QJ.NET Commenters: Anon today, gone tomorrow

What with more registered users flocking in, QJ veterans Mister Common Sense, Quixand, AoxomamoxoA, CHUCKINGROCKS, and MGSROCKS1 might have some competition cut out for them in bagging the Comment of the Week now! Who gets it in Issue 12? Sorry, no spoilers…

What’s been up in the PSP scene? Quite a lot – and that’s an understatement as it is. The PSP Slim has already taken centerstage since last week. This week is not much different, however, it’s earning a lot of its own merits in itself. The question of the week remains: Got firmware?

Team M33‘s had a busy week rolling out their homebrew hacks and exploits. The way everyone’s seeing it, it’s pretty clear whose milkshake CFW is bringing all the boys to the PSP yard.

Firstly, they’ve given everyone a ticket to the next frontier. The gates to PSP Slim homebrew are open with the release of the M33 PSP Slim Custom Firmware 3.60. It’s got all the features of 3.52 M33, minus the support for 1.50 kernel. With it, you can run homebrew from the GAME, GAME150, and GAME360 folders.

Not missing a beat, they’ve also released the NewPsardumper for 2.xx and 3.xx kernels. What does this entail though? Well, one of the more interesting things about the Psardumper is that it can support 3.7x decryption. *le gasp!* Yep, you heard that right. M33 3.7x CFW, here we come!

Before this whole CFW hoopla though, do note that they also released a Universal Popsloader. This release is certainly a great one for those who enjoy their PSOne games. The Universal Popsloader is compatible with previous POPS releases. So go, go, go! All related downloads are provided in the links below.

Link: Team M33’s PSP Slim Custom Firmware 3.60 is out!
Link: M33 NewPsardumper for 2.xx, 3.xx kernels released
Link: Team M33 releases Universal Popsloader

And as sure as the sun rises in the… *tries to remember*… east every morning, Sony‘s rubberbanding with the latest PSP firmware as well. This week, they’ve released not one, but two separate firmware updates. Introducing PSP FW 3.70 and the not-much-different PSP FW 3.71. Now to compact things into bite-sized QuickPeek friendliness, we’re summarized parts of the changelog of both versions:

• Revisions to strengthen security have been added
• The number of PLAYSTATION Network titles that can be played under [Game] has increased
• A correction has been made to the settings for some regions
• You can now set custom themes in [Theme Settings] under [Settings]
• Support has been added for assigning buttons in [Remote Play]
• A scene search feature has been added under [Video]
• Sequential playback is now supported under [Video]
• Simultaneous playback of content hunder [Music] and [Photo] is now supported
• A correction has been made to the settings for some regions

As it also turns out, the Jap-version of the firmware release isn’t getting anything aside from a very cold shoulder, whose changelog contains a succinct: “There is no modification in for the Japanese system software.” You may click the individual links below for the specifics of each FW version.

Link: Firmware 3.70 on the loose for both PSP 1000, 2000 types
Link: PlayStation Portable firmware 3.71 out now

Fanjita and Noobz had their big bustling day of activity as well. They’ve released a Homebrew Enabler (HEN) and downgrader for PSP FW 3.11, which (if you’re still trapped by FW 3.11) will allow you to run homebrew and downgraders on FW 3.11 by using the US or European version of Lumines.

It’s interesting to note here that Fanjita is “back,” when everyone thought that he was supposed to be retired. We were actually able to clarify this little turnabout: “Yeah. [I’m just] tidying up loose ends. This was promised ages ago.”

So yes, he’s retired. But nevertheless, it’s glad to know that Fanjita still remains committed right down to the very end, without ever breaking any promises. Kudos to the team for coming out with yet another most-wanted download!

Link: Fanjita and Noobz release FW 3.11 HEN/Downgrader

Lots of homebrew-related news, huh? But what about PSP games? The limelight this week was taken by none other than Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. The game finally hit shelves in Japan just the other day, and already the whole world (yes, the whole world and not just Japan) is already reeling in shock.

Someone’s been able to fly by the  game twice already and after the second run, was treated to a special cinematic which got the rumor mill abuzz again with some form or other of a re-release of FFVII. The culprit? “To be continued in Final Fantasy VII.” Everyone’s got their own theories. Some of which include either of the following:

• Actual confirmation of an FFVII remake. Meh.
• Square Enix just wants us to play FFVII again. (We wouldn’t mind)
• FFVII making it to the PSN soon. Likely.
• Nothing. Prequels would naturally have such “to be continued” tags in the end.

What’s your take on it though? We know it’s a topic that’s been talked to death about. Man, if we had a dollar for every single time someone in the world’s brought it up in a conversation, we’d have enough money to develop the damned remake. (Plus enough left-over budget for FFVIII and IX remakes too).

Link: Crisis Core secret cinematic confirms Final Fantasy VII remake?

More updates as they roll by. And if we’d hazard a guess, we’re sure to see more milkshake pwnage next week, so stay tuned! There’s still that bit about the new kids on the block: Team AoP!

– QJ.Net’s PSP team

Matty Lovo Jr. must be pretty happy after Sony rewarded him with a PS3 for his heroic actions. After all, his mean green black machine is still maintaining its forward momentum from last week.

While Amazon’s got the shiny black next-gen console clocked as their top-selling console, the European Imaging and Sound Association concurs. EISA awarded the PS3 with the title of “Best Home Entertainment gadget” for this year. When it comes to the PlayStation 3, Sony is unfazed by its detractors and is even shutting them all up by winning several awards left and right. This next one can be added to that list that will become longer, it seems, in time.

David Reeves is elated with the news about their win:

To receive an EISA Award is a very high honor in the electronics industry and therefore to receive one for a product that is usually thought of as simply a games machine, truly highlights the versatility and quality of PS3.

Link: PS3 takes home EISA Award for Best Home Entertainment gadget

Meanwhile, Pachter seems to have gotten his predictions right. Or maybe that’s just us wishful thinking. But regardless, the grapevine’s gotten all all ho-ho-ho-ing for a price cut this holiday season. A reliable source (with a good track record too) close to Ars Technica has just revealed of Sony’s listing of console prices this holiday season. According to their insider, we get the following:

• 80GB PS3 for US$ 499
• 40GB PS3 for US$ 399
• 80GB/40GB PS3 bundled with a Spider-man 3 Blu-ray
• PS2 for US$ 99

Sony’s neither confirmed nor denied these price cuts, however, everyone’s eying next week for an announcement. Yep. Keep a close watch of what’s going to unravel during the Tokyo Game Show!

Link: Happy holidays (pt. 2): 80GB PS3 unit for US$ 499, 40GB for 399 confirmed?

If the PSP’s got a new system firmware update, then you best believe that a PS3 FW update isn’t that much far away (whether before or after the PSP update). In this case, it was the PS3’s new FW update which rolled out first, which now clocks the Cell monster up to FW 1.93.

The changelog from the official Sony Japan only lists one line: “Stability of network connection was improved.” While the previous firmware update was only last week, this new update couldn’t come at a better time. Especially since 1.92 caused a bit of a bottle neck when accessing the PlayStation Network and playing Warhawk.

Link: PlayStation 3 firmware 1.93 goes live

It’s not just the PlayStation 3’s system firmware getting some treatment either. Though Resistance: Fall of Man‘s been released since the PS3 launch, Insomniac Games isn’t backing down from their continuous support. According to James Stevenson (aka jstevenson) at the official Resistance Forums, the latest patch update for Resistance: Fall of Man is now available for download.

This patch is to fix collision bugs as well as do some general spring cleaning in the game. For those who still haven’t let the aliens invade your system, just plug in your game disc and update it accordingly.

Speaking of online updates, this week’s batch of PlayStation Store downloadable content is looking ace. So many downloads in one big batch! That’s definitely going to eat up a lot of our time (not to mention storage space!). Check out the list of demos available:

• PixelJunk Racers
• Tony HawkÂ’s Proving Ground
• NHL 08
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• FIFA 08

Aside from the demos and games, there are also some media content to hit up: trailers, videos, wallpapers, and mp3s! Yep, as Act II mentioned in our comments section, you can download a song from Lair called “Battle for Asylia”. Rawr.

Link: Resistance: Fall of Man patch update available
Link: New downloadable games, demos on PlayStation Store

What can we expect in the Tokyo Game Show from Sony? Quite a lot, my friend. MGS4 is going to be playable, for one, as is DMC4. Plus, Yakuza 3 and Eternal Sonata have just been confirmed to come out to the PS3. Excited much? Speaking of which, we may just have a couple of your typical “Bootbabes post” some time next week, so keep it here!

– QJ.Net’s PlayStation 3 team

The Halo 3 D-Day is nigh! …But before then, there’s still the TGS to think about.

Next week might prove to be one historic occasion for the 360 camp too. It’s been said that Microsoft will be holding a secret meeting with some of the big names in the video game industry: Square Enix, Namco Bandai, and Koei.

Yep. The meeting is supposed to be held during the Tokyo Game Show and their agenda would be new exclusive titles for the 360. Apparently, Square Enix is actually ready to reveal a new IP!

Link: Microsoft to hold secret meeting with Square Enix, Namco Bandai, Koei?

Ace Attorney Jack Thompson shook things up in the gaming indursty yet again by proving one of his theories: that “hyperviolent and sex-themed Manhunt 2 and Grand Theft Auto IV will be widely sold to kids of all ages despite promises by Take-Two, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), and major retailers.”

He just sent his 15 year old son to Best Buy to purchase BioShock – which we all know to be an M-rated (17+) game. As he predicted, his son exited the store with plasmids at hand. He was able to buy it. Now, Thompson also demands to fire the female clerk who sold the game to his son, as well as the store manager of that Best Buy branch. Yeouch.

Link: Jack Thompson sends 15-year old son to buy BioShock from Best Buy

There’s also been some recent speculation going around that maybe Infinity Ward might not be doing Call of Duty 5 after all. Video game news site Gameplayer recently had the chance to talk to Infinity Ward’s Grant Collier. According to Gameplayer, Collier was nonchalant when asked about Call of Duty 5 as he didn’t think Infinity Ward would be making it.

Now, everyone’s eying Treyach for CoD 5, especially since they’ve already stood in for Infinity Ward on the development of CoD 3.

Link: Infinity Ward not doing Call of Duty 5?

Now we can’t have a QuickPeek without some usual Halo 3 updates, especially since it’s only a little more than a week away from its launch.

Despite the rest of the world having to wait for September 25, Francesca Reyes is pretty damn lucky. She’s the editor-in-chief of the Official Xbox Magazine, but now, her new title might just outweigh that: she’s the first person to finish Halo 3. Reyes has played, finished, and completed her review of Bungie Studios’ Halo 3: a whopping ten-page turner.

Too bad she can’t spill the beans just yet. We’re pretty sure she’s dying from the inside to let it all out though. For those wanting to read the first-ever review (by the first-ever to finish the game, at that) of Halo 3, that latest OXM issue is to be released simultaneously with Halo 3 on the 25th.

Link: First dibs: Francesca Reyes is first to finish Halo 3

TGS… The last stretch before Halo 3… Can this coming week get any more tense?

– QJ.Net’s Xbox 360 Team

Miyamoto and Iwata’s console is surely cooking up quite a spectacle this week. There’s been a lot of news for the Wii indeed, however some of us feel as if we’ve been left hanging for an actual confirmation on some of them.

A new title has supposedly been revealed in a Gamestop meeting in Las Vegas the other day. And since Nintendo was there, they decided to give them a bit of a sneak peek of what might come up soon. As it turns out, the Wii Zapper will be bundled with this new title, Zelda Crossbow Training.

What does the game look like? Too bad we don’t have any actual footage of it. A source of Ars Technica did comment that it looked beautiful and that it seemed to be running on the Twilight Princess engine.

The floor is now open for bets on how likely this title will thwack onto the TGS. If we’d hazard a guess, it just might be playable too.

Link: Wii Zapper to be bundled with Zelda Crossbow Training?

Mario’s latest adventure seems to be nothing less than intergalactic indeed. And even before the game could blast off, it’s already rumored to be hitting stellar numbers with its pre-orders. According to employees from EBGames/GameStop, figures have already climbed up to the 400,000 mark.

Whoa, that’s a lot of pre-orders! Burn_Griffith had even commented: “If I don’t get a move on. There will be slim to no copies in store at all. Like what happened when I was trying to search for Luminous Arc for the DS.” Well true enough. Some of us ould relate to that.

Now while Nintendo hasn’t given any formal statement about pre-orders, you best be making sure you’d be able to secure a copy of the game once it comes out on November 12. If this number of pre-orders is any indication, it won’t take a Michael Pachter to predict some high sales numbers for Super Mario Galaxy.

Link: Rumor: Super Mario Galaxy pre-orders hit 400,000 mark?

All this rumor and unconfirmed details are giving us a rather unsettling feeling in our stomachs, so let’s head on out to something a little bit more concrete and a regular staple in QuickPeek: Super Smash Bros. Brawl!

The cute and cuddly de-evolution of Snorlax is joining the brawl. Munchlax is ready to munch into the Smash Arena with a big appetite to boot. He’s going to be one of the Pokemon popping out of Poke Balls here and there. While other assist Pokemon have devastating powers, Munchlax’s role in battle could prove just as hellish. He’s got no plans of dieting after all, and he’s intent on gobbling down any other item that drops nearby.

The Special Brawl mode has also been revealed in the DOJO. That’s going to add a little spice on your Smash tactics and strategy. In this mode, you get to set your very own rules and limitations for the battle – kind of allows you to break away from the monotonous life that every Smash fighter must face everyday (not that we envy them – it’s pretty tough if you’ve got Snorlaxes dropping in on you every now and then).

Link: Super Smash Bros. Brawl update: introducing Munchlax
Link: Super Smash Bros. Brawl update: mix it up in Special Brawl mode

What can we look forward to on the TGS floor? Well, that Zelda Crossbow Training is somewhere on the top of our list – hopefully it homes in with a playable demo to boot. Then there’s Umbrella Chronicles, NiGHTS, and No More Heroes!

– QJ.Net’s Nintendo Wii Team

General Gaming: No rest for the wicked

One thing on everyone’s minds right now is a possibility of Square Enix coming out with an FF7 remake. For some reason, Crisis Core‘s release in Japan has triggered once again the flames and passions of many a Tifa-Aeris-Yuffie fan. But face it, kids. Aeris is dead. Even flower girls have to pass away sometime, don’t they?

A petition to remake Final Fantasy VII had climbed its way to 20,000 signatures, and wanting so much to get a reply from Square Enix, Gaming Today forwarded the petition to the RPG giant. Are they really going to make a remake? There’s certainly a lot of following for the game and likewise, support for it is quite clear. Here’s what Square Enix had to say though:

Our parent company, SQUARE ENIX of Japan, has no current plans to create a sequel or remake to that particular title at this time. This is not to say that it will never happen, itÂ’s just that their development teams are currently focusing on numerous other projects.

In other words, there’s no FF7 remake. For now. But we can hope, right? (Right; as if we haven’t for the past decade.) But hey, it’s understandable that they’re busy. They’ve got quite a beefy lineup of titles set to come out. There’s Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII for the PSP, the Crystal Chronicles titles on the DS and Wii, plus FFXIII on the PS3. And we can’t count out all the other remakes like Star Ocean and the third installment of Kingdom Hearts.

The TGS is just around the corner, and maybe Square Enix has something up its sleeve. But whatever the case, they’re bound to put up quite a show next week, and that’s with or without a remake.

Link: Aeris is still dead: No FF7 remake, says Square Enix (again)

The QJ.Net geeksquad is back with the latest news in the worlds of Science and Technology, from a sad tale of how polar bears could go extinct by year 2050 to predictions made in France (1910) of the year 2000. But among all the interesting bits of news that have shored up our blogs this week, this little item just takes the whole cake. It takes the whole cake and makes a mad dash for the toilet.

The latest gadget just might save your life if you’re having the worst day in your life and somehow found yourself swimming up Sh*t Creek. Yes, literally. This new water bottle invented by Michael Pritchard is aptly called LifeSaver and can filter out the dirtiest water to make it drinkable. “Dirty water” here can be stretched even further to include fecal matter. Eww.

You might want to wash your mouth with soap after, but basically, the water filters out anything longer than 15 nanometers. Because of the filter, it even takes out viruses – typically 25 nanometers long – a feat even conventional water filters can’t achieve. The LifeSaver automatically shuts off after it expires, preventing dirty water from coming through.

The new invention, which can distill 4,000 to 6,000 litres without changing the filter, is expected to revolutionize the way water is supplied to disaster stricken areas, military troops, and happy campers everywhere.

Link: LifeSaver bottle instantly makes dirty water drinkable

– QJ.Net’s Geeksquad

Before anything else, we’d like to give one big thank you for all of your feedback about our move to ban Anonymous Commenting. Your support is sincerely appreciated, and if you’ve still got more suggestions on how to improve our growing community, it doesn’t take much to speak your mind. You can simply comment below! Contact us and you will be heard!

Here are a couple of thoughts from lmxloco, though. Nice commentary on Internet anonymity!

Originally posted on Sept 15, 2007 at 01:30PM