QuickJump QuickPeek 50: Of hidden PSP FW updates, Solid Snake’s surprise appearance, and Jack Thompson’s court room disappearance
(Editor’s Note: QuickPeek finally hits the big FIVE-OH!)
Two more editions and we’ll be clocking in a full year of weekly recaps! What’s in store this week? Lots of hellos and goodbyes. Some hellos are pre-mature, as seen in the case of MGS4 breaking street date (or not), and some goodbyes are actually kinda uplifting – especially if it might result in a 10-year disbarment. Get ready for some major surprises this week!
(Editor’s Note: Yeah, baby! It’s QuickJump QuickPeek’s big five-oh! Yeap! We’ve reached the 50-mark now, and just two more issues, we’ll be clocking a full year already!)
Had a blast this week? Yeah, we did too! This edition of QuickPeek’s proof enough: a big explosion of homebrew on the PSP and Wii, more fireworks and last minute updates on MGS4, and hey hey hey!, someone jet-rocketting away from the court room?
Various things have definitely popped in and out this week in one big display of fireworks. And while it really is unfortunate to bid goodbye to certain games, developers, and whatnot, there are also other things that we’re glad to see shooed away.
PSP: Taking a wild ride over the wickeder side
Talk about a busy week. No rest for the wicked, you say? Ah, only if “wicked” here is taken for its positive connotation. Because true enough, the PSP scene was hella wicked with a bunch of great news!
Japan. Land of the Rising Sun. Or for some people, Land Where They Get Most Things First. SCEJ just announced that they will be releasing two new bundles in July – both of which will be of the Mettalic Blue PSP. Bundle #1 will be the Mettallic Blue PSP Value Pack, while Bundle #2 is the 1 Seg Pack.
Link: SCEJ coming out with two Metallic Blue PSP bundles in July
On to more news on games. We haven’t had much on Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep lately – not enough to go around with, at least. But lo and behold!, it’s a leaked trailer! Complete with gameplay and cutscenes to boot! It’s not necessarily your most high-def of high-def trailers, but it’s still worth it.
*Update* See, this is also another reason why you should be reading QuickPeek despite “already knowing everything up in here.” See, during the week, the trailer was taken down. BUT! Now, we’ve modified the article to show another copy of the video, but this time, with actual English subtitles! Yeah, baby!
Link: Trailer for Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep leaked
Hurrah, hurrah! Well, hurrah for Japan, at least. They get another does of Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G DLC again this week – one that caters to those who might’ve spent time grinding around already. It’s quite a challenge actually: four huge monsters to defeat in under an hour!
Link: Monster rush marathon in new Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G DLC
A cool mod dropped in this week for all your hardware-tinkery users. Someone’s created an external DualShock controller mod for the PSP, and it’s looking mighty clean. A port for the controller was created on the right-hand side of the PSP, just above the PSP’s power switch, and the buttons were actually mapped relatively well, including the Home button via R3.
Thanks to Robin D’Arcy for the tip!
Link: Cleanest looking DualShock external controller mod for PSP
To segue into the homebrew news, we’ll tackle this bit of interesting info first. A new device was sighted over at the Taiwan Computex 2008 event: a PhotoFast card adapter that allows you to jam in four SDHCs into it, which could potentially give you a grand total of 32GB of memory storage! Here’s the clincher though: they announced that, in the future, they might expend the device to accommodate a total of 64GB!
Thanks for the tip Hitori Futari!
Link: 64 GB mem storage in PSP possible via PhotoFast card adapter
Huge, huge news this week on the PSP homebrew scene. The highly anticipated Custom Firmware 3.95 GEN was finally released, albeit delayed for a few hours. Here’s something to look forward to as well! It’s been announced that CFW 3.95 GEN-2 will be rolling out any minute now (by the time you read this, maybe it already has!) so keep your eyes peeled for when it gets posted right here on PSPUpdates.
Thanks to MaGiXien for contacting us!
Link: Custom Firmware 3.95 GEN released
Link: *Update* CFW 3.95 GEN release delayed
Link: Custom Firmware 3.95 GEN-2 to be launched tomorrow
Speaking of firmwares, let’s go to the flipside of things as we have news on official 3.96 firmware. Mathieulh of M33 has found that Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 holds sections of code that may suggest that it has a 3.96 update. It might be a real update, or it might be a red herring. At any rate, the homebrew community is on it.
Link: Mathieulh finds PSP 3.96 firmware update in Hot Shots Golf 2
Also huge in the PSP homebrew scene this week is Sam 1.0.0.0, a PSP emulator for Windows. Hold your horses though; don’t expect anything grand yet. For now, the emulator can only play pspsdk demos, but that is a significant step towards a fully working emulator. We’re hoping to hear more on this one in the future.
Link: Sam 1.0.0.0 – PlayStation Portable emulator
This week saw the conclusion of the Homebrew Idol Competition, which had some great offerings. We can’t put them all in QuickPeek though – there’s simply too many. Instead, we present you the cream of the crop, as deemed worthy by your jumps.
First up is NervOS v2.0.5. This shell application has been around for a while now, and this new build was entered in the Homebrew Idol competition. One major update in this build is the addition of a Scripting System. Next up is MyPSPMenu, another shell application that has some great features.
Link: NervOS v2.0.5: PSP Homebrew Idol Competition 2008 entry
Link: MyPspMenu R1: PSP Homebrew Idol Competition 2008 entry
Yeah, we weren’t kidding when we said it was a wicked week. See ya ’round!
– QJ.NET’s PSPUpdates team
PlayStation 3: Surprises and not-so-surprising surprises
The air is thick with anticipation for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Little over a week left before the game’s release, but it seems that some people just couldn’t wait. One gamer claimed that he was able to get a copy, breaking the game’s street date. He even provided a picture of his trophy along with a receipt for proof.
Konami quickly snipped this in the bud, saying that it wasn’t possible for a retailer to break the street date. Konami explained that the street date is enforced by a strong agreement system, as well as a written statement. Still doesn’t explain the pictures of the purchased games though. They also assure gamers that there’ll be enough copies to go around.
Link: Metal Gear Solid 4 street date broken in Australia
Link: Konami: Metal Gear Solid 4 breaking street date not possible
We’re not through talking about Kojima’s masterpiece though. Being so close to the release date, we’re seeing more reviews for the game pop up. Famitsu was all praises for the game, giving it a perfect 40 over 40. EGM gave its own praises for the game, although they did throw in some criticisms here and there.
Speaking of reviews, an interesting clarification was made by none other than Konami Studios’ Ryan Payton. See, there seems to be some confusion (and rather harsh feedback given) about the gag order that the team placed on people reviewing MGS4. The non-disclosure agreement lists certain technical details that reviewers shouldn’t talk about. The reason: to preserve everyone else’s gaming experience.
Link: MGS4 not reviewed and scored by EGM due to Konami’s imposed restrictions
Link: MGS4 now Famitsu’s eighth wonder of the gaming world
Link: Speak no evil: restrictions on Metal Gear Solid 4 reviews clarified
Now we hate to veer you away from Metal Gear Solid 4, Sony gamers, but we have a lot more news for you! This week we have several new updates on the PlayStation Home front. First up is a new batch of screenshots of Home from the Ubidays event of last week. We’ve seen a video of the event before, but at least this batch gives us a clearer look.
Some of you are likely itching to see Home get up and running already. We can’t give a definite date, but the senior director of PSN did share that a release is still on track for this year, but there’s a hitch. It seems that the release this year will most likely be an open Beta, instead of a fully working version. After waiting for so long, we’ll take anything.
While we’re on the subject, we have good news for Resistance fans out there. Insomniac Games has revealed that both Resistance: Fall of Man and its sequel will feature PlayStation Home, and trophy support.
Link: New World Exclusive PlayStation Home Beta screens
Link: Pamico: Home launch to be similar to GMail’s
Link: Resistance 1 and 2 to feature Trophy, Home Support, and more
Let’s shift gears for a while and talk about hardware. There’s been a lot of hardware updates this week for the PlayStation 3, not least of which are clarifications on Konami’s Gun Metal Gray PlayStation 3s, a limited edition bundle in honor of the release of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.
Just how limited is it? According to Konami, who was awfully vague about it, the amount is ranged within a four-digit number, so there’s definitely only less than 10,000 of them in existence. Another clarification is that the body finish of the PlayStation 3 model isn’t your simple paint job – rather, it will be a matte finish.
Now if you’ve been keeping tabs on the available MGS4 bundles, there’s also another one available. It’s not quite a limited edition – but it’s still a some-sort-of-edition, which is still good. This is the MGS4 80GB PS3 bundle, whose arrival apparently made Sony decide to cut off supply of the 80GB Motorstorm bundle. So if you want one, better get one now.
Link: Konami clarifies on Gun Metal Gray PS3 confusion
Link: PS3’s 80GB Motorstorm bundle officially discontinued
Hellos and Goodbyes are also in order for the software side of things. First we say hello to the team that will be bringing us the long overdue PlayStation 3 version of BioShock. The game is in good hands, with a lot of the people involved in the original game will be making a return in the PS3 team.
Sadly, we also say goodbye to two games from the Sony London Studio team. According to SCEE, budget restrictions have caused Eight Days and The Getaway 3 to drop out from development.
Link: Goodbye games: Sony ceases work on Eight Days and The Getaway 3
Link: BioShock’s PS3 team introduced
To wrap up this week’s PlayStation 3 updates, we leave you with something from the rumor mill. Word has it that a firmware update to be released this October will allow 40GB PlayStation 3s to have backwards compatibility with PlayStation 2 games. This rumor probably opens up old wounds for Sony gamers, but take it with a grain of salt (not on the wound though), it’s still only a rumor after all.
Link: Rumor: PS2 backwards compatibility for 40GB PS3 in October
We’ll bring you guys more news and surprises next week! Make sure you’ve got your MGS4 pre-orders booked!
– QJ.NET’s PlayStation 3 team
Xbox 360: Revamps, re-releases, and Ryu Hayabusa moments
Kicking off this week’s Xbox 360 updates is Gears of War 2. Lester Speight, the voice actor behind Cole Train, may have given us a hint at a release date for the game. When asked him for the game’s release date, he replied that they should ask him again on November 16. Since we know that the game will be released this November, Speight may actually have revealed the specific day of its release. Cross your fingers.
Link: Gears of War 2 voice actor hints at release date
At any rate, it seems that the original Gears of War game received a price drop recently, to make way for the repackaged version which will carry bonus features, as well as new Gears of War 2 assets. The original not-exciting-any-more version will now go for US$ 39.99 for the Xbox 360, and US$ 29.99 for the PC.
Link: Gears of War gets price drop, double disc edition coming soon after
Xbox Live Arcade was shaken a few weeks ago when Microsoft announced that they will be delisting underperforming titles. But is that the end of the story? Maybe not. Or at the least, hopefully not. Xbox 360 product management director Aaron Greenberg remarked recently that the 360 team is looking for a better way to organize all of the DLC in XBLM. Could this mean a major revamp in the near future? Here’s to hoping.
Link: Microsoft hints at Xbox Live Marketplace revamp
Ninja Gaiden II had a couple of issues pop up before it was released earlier this week. Specifically whether or not a demo will grace Xbox Live, and whether the game will indeed run at 585p.
“Wait, that’s it?” you might be asking. Nope. We have more news, but it’s not about Ninja Gaiden 2, but rather Tomonobu Itagaki, a prominent name behind the series. Tecmo, the company behind Ninja Gaiden, recently had a disagreement with Itagaki, which led to his departure from the company. Read up on it in our General Gaming section below!
Link: Ninja Gaiden 2 demo might drop by week’s end
Link: Ninja Gaiden 2 running at 585p?
Xbox 360 gamers were plagued with technical issues caused by Race Driver: GRID this week. Codemasters has promised that they will be releasing a patch to fix this, and will release it within a few weeks.
If you’re experiencing these issues, Codemasters recommends that, for now, your best bet is to copy your gamertag to a mem card, then run the game after removing the hard drive. This will disable specific features of the game, but it’s better than the alternative.
Link: GRID Xbox 360 has issues, Codemasters rushing fix
Some of you guys might still be pretty concerned about the delisting of certain XBLA titles so better start saving some MS Points for possible last minute purchases before they’re gone forever.
– QJ.NET’s Xbox 360 team
Nintendo Wii: Wiibrew on the rise
This week, Nintendo released new downloadable content for the massively popular hit-and-run game, Mario Kart Wii. Looks like Mario’s taking a page from… Mario? Yeah, the DLC actually contains the Galaxy Arena, based on another massively popular Mario game, Super Mario Galaxy. Check out more info and a video of the DLC after the link!
Link: Mario Kart Wii: info and video of newly-released DLC
Listen up, Club Nintendo members! If you’ve been hoarding your Club Nintendo Stars, you probably want to check your account. Club Nintendo has given out a reminder that Stars will expire after 24 months of being in your account. Along with this they also announced that some members may already have expired Stars, so better check yours now.
Link: Club Nintendo Stars to begin expiring this month
If you’re looking for a way to spend those Club Nintendo Stars, you might want to invest them in Wii Points to get some great games that’s been coming out on WiiWare and the Virtual Console. This week we finally get to see the release of Toki Tori, a puzzle-platform game starring that’s exploding with cuteness.
Link: US VC and WiiWare update: Toki Tori, Protothea, Ninja Combat
On to the Wiibrew updates! This week we had a veritable explosion of Wii homebrew, so we have to have some careful deliberation on which ones to include here in QuickPeek. First we give you some Wiibrew programs that aid in managing your files: WAD Manager, Homebrew Manager, and SD Explorer.
Link: WAD Manager v1.1 – now with USB mass drive support
Link: Homebrew Manager v1.0a – line returns corrected
Link: SD Explorer 0.8: SD card file manager for Wii
Next, we have updates on several emulators. First up is SNES9X for the Wii, which now automatically detects your TV’s video mode. There’s also a new update for RINWii Remake. Although still in its beta stages, the Game Boy Color emulator has several improvements to its library.
Then there is the Genesis Plus Project, which also received a TV mode detection update. As you can guess, it’s an emulator for the Sega Genesis. Speaking of Sega platforms, there is also an update for SMSplus, an emulator for the Sega Master System and the Game Gear.
Link: SNES9X v3.1 – automatically detects TV’s video mode
Link: Genesis Plus Project 30-05-2008
Link: SMSplus 01062008: Sega Master System and Game Gear emulator
Link: RINWii Remake Beta 3 – improved emulator libraries
The Wii homebrew scene’s really making some substantial progress. We even heard some positive comments from ShadeyProphet on how Wiibrew development is shaping up just like how the PSP started out! Who knows what next week will bring, eh?
– QJ.NET’s Nintendo Wii team
General Gaming: By Crom! The army of lawyers are here!
This week we have some big news on Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures for the PC (to the delight of Enrico S.). The MMO has a promising future ahead of it: according to the latest NPD results, the game is the best selling PC game for the last week of May, beating even the World of Warcraft Battlechest. Age of Conan also made waves in Germany, where it sold more than Grand Theft Auto 4.
So while we’re on the subject, we might as well put this in just for the fun of it. According to reports, Funcom has “accidentally” reduced the bust sizes of all the female models in Age of Conan. At the fierce objections of the gaming community (most likely the male portion), Funcom has replied that they are already getting things back to normal.
Link: Age of Conan beats GTA 4 in Germany, both trumped by Wii Play in Spain
Link: NPD U.S. PC Charts: Age of Conan claims top billing
Link: Age of Conan women get unintended change to bust sizes
Nostalgia seems to be the trend in games lately. First up is Street Fighter IV, which just got a brand new trailer from Capcom. You’d know what we mean by nostalgia when you watch the vid after the link.
Also coming are two new announced games: Splatterhouse, and 007 Quantum of Solace. The original Splatterhouse was pretty infamous in its heyday, known for its violent nature. The next-gen version seems to be aiming for that goal as well. Check out the first-ever batch of screenshots after the link.
Speaking of violence, here’s one that does it in style: Agent Double 007, better known as Bond… James Bond. The new shooter from Activision will incorporate third-person elements as well as quick-time events. Read more after the link below.
Link: Video: Street Fighter IV Epic Trailer
Link: Splatterhouse coming 2009 in all its bloody glory
Link: First details spilled on 007 Quantum of Solace
Some rather disheartening developments for fans of the Ninja Gaiden series. Tomonobu Itagaki, the director of the series and the now-former head of Team Ninja, has come to an impasse with Tecmo, the studio’s mother company. Apparently, they had a disagreement with bonus payments that Itagaki made with the previous management.
The argument led to Itagaki’s departure from Team Ninja, and a formal announcement-slash-apology to fans that Ninja Gaiden II will be the last title of the series that he will be responsible for. Itagaki pointed a finger at Tecmo’s president for the debacle, while Tecmo responded by discrediting Itagaki’s claims. You can read up on the whole episode by following the links below.
Link: Tecmo responds to Itagaki lawsuit
Link: Tomonobu Itagaki leaves Team Ninja, sues Tecmo for damages
Itagaki’s not the only one making waves in the industry though. Remember Jack Thompson? Of course you’d know Jack Thompson. Well, the guy’s been in hot water for some time now, after the Florida Bar found him guilty of misconduct in court proceedings. Now he’s out of the pot and into and endless sea of fire (well, he does like Bible quotes…)
Jack Thompson recently walked out on his own disciplinary hearing, earning him an “enhanced disbarment” recommendation from the court. Should the disbarment stand, Thompson will not be able to practice law for ten years. As for his complaint, it’s quite an interesting read, if not amusing. Read more on it after the link.
Link: Thompson gets slammed with enhanced disbarment
Science and Technology: Bacterial computers
You may think microbes and bacteria are good for nothing but making people sick. You may want to rethink that. A remarkable (and kinda gross) new research has found that E. Coli and Salmonella could actually be used as biological computers. They may even become the stuff of super computers in the future.
What the research found that with proper stimulation, bacteria can turn parts of their DNA on and off, in a sense. Imagine that each bacterium acts as a single computer, using its DNA as data. Now imagine how a single drop of water could contain a million of these bacterium. All of them working together make one massive supercomputer.
And then someday, they’ll gain a collective consciousness and we’ll have a biological supercomputer that can take over the human race by giving them a queasy stomach.
Link: Scientists bully bacteria into solving math problems
Odds-and-Ends: Volting in
Gamers spend a lot of money for their consoles, but not just on games and peripherals. Necessarily, they also spend a lot on electricity. But just how much electricity do our consoles really guzzle up? A new study answered this question, coming up with some interesting results.
According to the study, the PlayStation 3 is the most power-hungry of the consoles, consuming up to 33.34 kilowatts per hour, while the Xbox 360 consumes 26 kilowatts per hour. The Wii is the most economical of the bunch. Indeed, it’s so low on the scale that it’s not in the same league: it only consumes 3.14 kilowatts per hour.
Link: Consumer group rates appliance power consumption, PS3 one of the highest
Comment of the Week: Blind spots
On the subject of Metal Gear Solid 4 breaking street date, Konami issued a statement that said it wasn’t possible because they had major retailers issue written agreements of not releasing the game early. DNAgent, however, thinks that Konami might have missed a blind spot. See, operative word is “major”. The major retailers might have been accounted for… but what about the non-major ones? DNAgent does raise a valid point, when you think about it, actually:
About The Author
