QuickJump QuickPeek 23: Of PSP firmware feats, the PSN, XBL, VC triumvirate, and lynched careers in gaming

(Editor’s Note: Sleigh bells ring; are you list’ning? From here on out, all QuickPeek editions will start giving thanks to our weekly tipsters! Yay!)

It’s QuickPeek 23! After Black Friday and all those festivities (ooh, and last week’s QuickPeek too, of course – Optimus Prime FTW!), we’re now moving into the Christmas season. Ole Saint Nick’s already stuffed a bit of gaming goodness down the QJ.NET chimney, and here we are, ready to give you the lowdown for the week! Enjoy!

Article originally posted Dec 01, 2007 at 02:10PM

(Editor’s Note: Sleigh bells ring… are you list’ning? And though Christmas may be just a few weeks off from now, people are already making their “I Want” lists and making damned sure they check it twice! And using Thanksgiving as a springboard, from here on out, all QuickPeek editions will start mentioning and giving acknowledgements to our tipsters, whose news items land on the lineup for the week! So keep them tips coming, O Helpful Reader! Time to shine.)

Wohoo! Everyone gotten their much needed rest over the Thanksgiving weekend? Gotten your gullets stuffed with turkey ey? Well, don’t put down those (pitch)forks and knives just yet! We’re serving QuickJump QuickPeek 23 today!

After Black Friday and all those festivities (ooh, including last week’s QuickPeek too, of course – Optimus Prime FTW!), we’re now moving into the Christmas season. Yes, it’s already December, just in case you’ve been living under a rock in the Marianas Trench and haven’t noticed.

Well, scoop out the seaweed over your eyes and in your ears (eew). Time for another hefty husk of this week’s latest goings-on in the gaming industry. Ole Saint Nick’s already stuffed a bit of gaming goodness down the QJ.NET chimney, and here we are, ready to give you the lowdown for the week!

Santa’s little homebrew workshop has been hard at work. Why? Well, firstly, if you haven’t heard yet, Sony‘s released the official PSP firmware 3.73 a few days ago. The only thing clocked in the new FW’s changelog is a concise “UMD stability” clause. Aside from this, there doesn’t seem to be anything to go ga-ga over.

Link: Sony rolls out official PSP firmware 3.73

Now, putting up the big homebrew victory flag this week is _HellDashX_, DAX, and Mathieulh. Upon the release of the new Sony PSP FW 3.73 – oh mighty changelog, where art thou? – homebrew development on the new system firmware can be simultaneously described as sparse but substantially great nonetheless.

First in the queue was _HellDashX_ who, just after a few hours of the new FW’s release, managed to decrypt it. That’s the “substantially great” aspect of it – getting to decrypt it in just a few hours. But then again, the “sparse” part comes in when _HellDashX_ confirms that there really isn’t much new code to decrypt in the first place. Because of this, there’s no need to release a new CFW build.

Many thanks to SeanPaul223 and Ilawl for the emails!

Link: PSP FW 3.73 decrypted, CFW not to be released yet

Echoing _HellDashX_’s words are Mathlieulh and Dark AleX. Both of them have confirmed it with the technical nuances of whats new (or what’s the same, rather) in FW 3.73: some 20 bytes worth of changes here, a different module version there…

Math and DAX are still examinging the new firmware just in case they don’t miss anything, but according to Math, it “does not need ANY patches to be modified/updated in any way to run a custom firmware.”

Link: Dark AleX, Mathieulh: no critical changes between FW 3.72, 3.73

Before the big news from _HellDashX_, DAX, and Math though, we heard an update from StrmnNrmn early on this week. With the Deadalus PSP design contest finished and the new face of Daedalus revealed, we get some updates on some R14 progress.

The biggest deal off his Daedalus R14 bargain is some modifications with the audio code and font. With regards to how the topic in the comments section jumped from Daedalus to creationism and god, well… That got us wondering too. LOL

Thanks to Seanpaul223 for the tip!

Link: Daedalus R14 update: New look, ready for new audio code

Finally, the moment of revelation is at hand. Things are definitely looking up – way up, literally. Isaac Newton must be turning in his grave of fallen apples (pardon the reference), because this Christmas season, No Gravity will be unleashed in its full glory. Umm, if all goes well, that is.

RealTechVR, developers of what some would call one of the most visually stunning and professional-looking homebrew titles out there, is aiming for a holiday release for No Gravity: The Plague of Mind. The demo was released waaaay back (like, March, waaaay back) and if you haven’t checked it out, now’s the time.

News tip submission care of Borg Queen X! Thanks!

Link: No Gravity: The Plague of Mind aiming for holiday release

Check back on your QJ.NET checklist next week for more updates! And remember, if you tip us on something and that news snippet ends up on next week’s QuickPeek edition, we’ll make sure you get mentioned!

– QJ.NET’s PSPUpdates Team

“Goodbye, Dorothy! And remember! The road to the Emerald City is paved with yellow bricks!” And so says Glinda the Good Witch. Too bad the country girl wearing the blue and white checkered dress was never told to click her heels right from the beginning to get home already. For PS3 owners, however, it isn’t as Ozly as that. Home is just a stonethrow away!

PlayStation Home beta testers get an early Christmas treat from Sony. The latest 0.7.7 build has finally been released this week. The changelog introduces new locations and relocations. But more importantly, America, Europe, and Japan each have their own server to themselves already! Neato!

Though there’s been a rumor that the full version would have been available this week, it was quickly squashed that it wouldn’t go live. Not anytime soon by a long shot. But meanwhile, we’re all treated to a video walkthrough of the current version of PlayStation Home.

Hey, Newmen, thanks for the tip!

Link: PS Home Beta updated to 0.7.7 build
Link: PlayStation Home: seven video walkthroughs

Still busy clicking your heels to get into Home, but nevertheless, you might also want to welcome PAIN in your lives. Yep, the latest PlayStation Store update gives us PAIN, a downloadable game for 10 smackeroos.

There’s also the TimeShift multiplayer demo – no need to worry, that clocks in for free. Other game add-ons are available too. So if you’ve got a copy of RFoM, MotorStorm, or either of the two guitar titles (Guitar Hero 3, Rock Band), you’ve got some DLC to content yourselves with.

Link: PlayStation Store (US) update brings in the PAIN

After helping out medical research through the Folding@Home project, after creating a supercomputer for collecting data from outer space, the PS3 is yet again lending its mighty Cell Processor talents to other fields.

The PS3’s Cell Processor, which was reported by one Nick Breese to have been capable of processing 1.4 billion cycles per second, helped out in cracking an eight-character password in just a few hours.

Link: Security research uses PS3 for high-speed password hacks

A big revelation for GTA fans this week too. Aside from “going gold” announcements, nothing says a game’s almost ready for release as much as the revelations of its official box art. And indeed, we are finally shown the box art for Grand Theft Auto 4 (for both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, of course) in a keen timelapse video – oh, be careful of the age check! LOL

Two bits to take note of is that 1) the box art retains the original style of its previous installments, and 2) a new trailer for the game is being readied for next week, December 6!

Link: Grand Theft Auto IV trailer: Game box art revealed

That’s it for this week! Keep your thumbs sweat-free, folks!

– QJ.NET’s PlayStation 3 Team

The little of bundle of joy otherwise known as the latest Xbox 360 Dashboard update is set to hit next week (December 4 to be exact) so we better get ourselves ready. To show you the ropes, we get a Live demonstration (a pun if there ever was one) of what the overhaul will bring.

Major highlights in the Xbox 360 Dashboard update include a facelift of the dashboard itself. There’s also expanded support for the MPG4 format, plus a new “friends of friends” option in your XBL Profile. Have you seen the video walkthough? DivX, here we come!!!

Link: Xbox Live Fall Update – friends list view of others activated
Link: Details on Xbox 360 Dashboard update
Link: Xbox 360 Fall Dashboard update features revealed

Patch matters now. After around four months now, a new patch for BioShock (both 360 and PC versions) is about to be released. The patch is to solve some bugs yet to be specified by 2K Games, but the only thing clear right now is that it should address the issue of the game handling widescreen display.

More good news comes in the form of BioShock downloadable content scheduled to be released next week. The DLC will have some happy Plasmids to add to your arsenal as well as a way to disable Vita-Chambers to spice up gameplay.

Link: Bioshock braces for new patch, free DLC next week

Good news for the DMC crowd. It turns out that the demo for Devil May Cry 4 will be rolling out pretty soon – at least, according to a Capcom representative. Details of the demo are unconfirmed, but some speculate that we’ll be seeing the same demo from back in January: 10 minute tutorial, plus the Frost level, and a boss battle.

Meanwhile, Capcom’s debunked the rumors of the Devil May Cry 4 demo being exclusive for the PS3. Needless to say, it’s also headed to its other platform versions.

Link: DMC4 demo: XBL-exclusivity debunked, more details revealed

Ever wondered how badly people wanted an Xbox 360? As the El Paso police and US marshals were to discover, offering a free 360 could send criminals from out of the woodwork, so to speak, and reveal themselves.

The ingenious tactic allowed officials to rcapture 115 people with criminal charges and even got to collect some US$ 25,000 worth of overdue traffic fines. People who were arrested had specific warrants served, some of which included drug charges, illegal entry charges, and other crimes of violence.

Link: US Marshals use Xbox 360 as bait; 115 criminals rounded up

Catch us next week for more, more, more! Let the happy elves start getting busy! The holiday season has more in store for everyone. (Let’s just wish our wallets manage to live through the coming days.)

– QJ.NET’s Xbox 360 Team

Ever so subtly yet very surprisingly indeed is the rolling out of a new Nintendo Wii Channel. Yep, Nintendo didn’t bother to announce much about it and decided to just jump the shark on Everyone’s Nintendo Channel.

This new channel allows users to watch video game trailers and interviews, even commercials. But the best part about it is that it converts the Nintendo Wii into a quasi-DS download station. Just hook your Wii up to some DS game demos and host it to your handheld!

The bad part about it is that it’s currently only available in Japan. A release in other regions is yet to be announced, but of course, that definitely won’t stop us from hoping.

Link: Everyone’s Nintendo Channel live w/ DS demos, trailers, more

…Which doesn’t mean to say that the other regions are devoid of anything new this week. The Virtual Console has updated itself with a couple of sports titles and some adventures from an age long past.

The US VC this week offers Double Dribble, Vegas Stakes, and Ecco Jr. Meanwhile, in Europe, you’ve got Dynastic Hero and Baseball Stars 2.

Link: NA Wii Virtual Console update: Double Dribble, Vegas Stakes, Ecco Jr.
Link: Europe Virtual Console additions: Dynastic Hero, Baseball Stars 2

More good news: results of Virtual Console sales are in. And would you believe, from all of those downloads of retro titles, Nintendo’s actually getting a whopping US$ 33 million! Stuck in the past much?

Interesting thing to note here is that Nintendo executive Shinji Hitano (he’s the guy who revealed the numbers during a press conference) doesn’t know what to make of it. Were they a high number, or a low one? But still, you can’ t deny that 33 million is still a staggering amount!

Link: Nintendo: Virtual Console bringing in US$ 33 million in sales

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is bringing back some things most of us have probably grown familiar with and fond of. We’re talking about the stages in Super Smash Bros. Melee from the GameCube. As it turns out, the devs have recreated Melee stages to the Wii installment in the franchise.

The first resurrection we get to see is the Temple stage hailing from the Zelda universe. There’s other stages we’ve yet to see, some of which have varying degrees of changes incorporated in them.

This week, the DOJO also introduces us to Wario’s final smash and the return of the Events game mode.

Link: Super Smash Bros. Brawl update: return of the Melee stages
Link: Meet Wario-Man: Wario’s final smash for Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Link: Super Smash Bros. Brawl: choose your poison in Events mode

If you got any Wii related updates, make sure you tip us off! Find anything juicy? Send in an email! You guys just might get mentioned next week!

– QJ.NET’s Nintendo Wii Team

If the video game industry were to build its very own country, then that country would definitely beat the US economy in terms of growth. In fact, it can overshoot the US economy four times over!

How so? The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) just released a report on the video game industry’s growth. No matter how you look at it, their findings paint quite a clear picture.

The video game industry experienced over 17% annual growth from 2003 to 2006. In that same point in time, the US experience 4% growth.

Link: Video game industry growth beats U.S. economy four to one

Though this involves a review of a game for a specific platform (three of them, in fact), the controversy here affects all gamers, no matter what platform you support. The is part of gaming culture: gamers, journalists, publishers, and the ever lasting struggle to make everyone happy. (Can’t we all just get along?)

The facts are these: 10-year GameSpot editorial director Jeff Gerstmann got fired. The controversy goes that he was fired for a review of Kane & Lynch: Dead Men. Gerstmann gave it a low score for the PS3-360-PC game, and upon getting his sacking, his video review was pulled out from the site.

Other online websites have reacted on the subject, with Penny Arcade giving a commentary about how Eidos Interactive could have nudged GameSpot to lynch Gerstmann’s career. Both GameSpot and Eidos have given their statements, however, the statements had the same response: no comment.

Link: GameSpot editorial director fired for Kane & Lynch review?

Is global warming leaving you rather cold inside? Well, to paint a greener picture, so to speak, Greenpeace has just released their “Guide to Greener Electronics” report, outlining the top 18 manufacturers of gadgets and devices that score on their policies.

This time around, Apple was able to salvage itself, despite being under Greenpeace’s black books for the iPhone. Meanwhile, among the three major video game console manufacturers, Sony scored the best with their electronics recycling campaign.

Link: Greenpeace’s Guide to Greener Electronics

Speaking of electronics, here’s something that sounds like a hardcore arcade fan’s wet dream. An arcade system with a 120-inch screen, a full arcade control panel and more than 145 pre-installed games?

Now, if you have the money to burn, you can also get this monstrosity and drop it in the middle of your gaming room thanks to Dream Arcades. Their Dreamcade Vision 120 comes complete with 125 ready-to-play classic arcade games from Atari, Capcom, Midway, Namco, among others.

Heck, it even supports the Nintendo Wii, and allows you to connect your PS3 and Xbox 360 via the Dreamcade Vision 120’s component and HDMI video inputs. Orgasm much? Oh, and LOL! As ISOHaven points out: fake superimposed Christmas tree FTW!

Link: Dreamcade Vision 120: bring the arcade to your living room

Choosing the comment of the week got pretty tough this time around. What with the slew of Opinions and Analysis pieces we piled up over the weekend – hey! everyone needs a bit of a break from all the news every now and then right? – there were a lot of you guys who expressed very valid and agreeable points.

For example, take the comments in the article of how a(nother) recent research has led people to believe that virtual violence is a public health threat. Rarely do we see an article with full stars on most of the comments! Great job in expressing your views, guys!

But wait, we can’t just say everyone’s a winner – because we know some of you are expecting a screencap of a comment here. So, without further ado, here’s a shining example of one of the numerous comments that caught our attention.

It’s simple, straight to the point, and something that could even have been applied to the definition of next-gen games (debatable). This comment from EdSquareCat is in reaction to the ethics of cheating (in video games):

There were also a couple of ROFL moments here and there from the comments section, as there were some flaming and fanboyism (welcome to the Internet!) on the side.

Though QJ.NET has its own readers (i.e. YOU), do know that QJ.NET’s readers, in turn, also have their own readers (i.e. everyone else). So, every time you hit that “Submit comment” button, bear in mind that you will also have readers! Keep ’em coming!