It’s been confirmed on the Japanese PlayStation website. PlayStation Portable firmware 5.00 will be released some time next week and feature PlayStation Store access as we previously reported. The launch date for other regions is not yet known but it is expected to hit the US and Europe around the same time. Firmware 5.00 will be required in order to access the PlayStation Store. Estimated launch for firmware 5.00 is October 15th 2008, when the PlayStation Store for PSP goes live in Japan.

The image above shows the new PlayStation Network icon on the XMB, similar to the PlayStation 3. It is not yet known if the PlayStation Store can be accessed on older PSP models, but our guess is that it will definitely be compatible with the PSP-2000 model.

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A patch for WipEout HD is now available to download in Europe. Patch v1.1 solves some of the bugs that were reported with the game. Unfortunately, if you played the game while having more than 50 friends, then it is possible that your game savedata has been corrupted and will need to be deleted. Once the update is installed, users should delete any savedata and then launch the game to create a new profile. Luckly, any trophies that you have unlocked will remain on your PSN profile.

The patch is currently available in Europe only, but one for North America will most likely be released soon. The official comment on the update is:

"If at any time you have had over 50 users in your friends list whilst playing Wipeout it is possible that your saved data has become corrupted.

If this situation applies to you, we strongly recommend once this update has installed you quit the game and delete your saved data using the saved data utility in the XMB, then relaunch the game to create a new profile."

Sony has announced that the wireless keypad accessory and AC adapter for the PlayStation 3 will be launching in Japan on December 18th 2008. The wireless keypad accessory supports Bluetooth 2.0 and has the full QWERTY layout. The accessory will be compatible with both the SIXAXIS and DualShock 3 controllers. The AC adapter lets you charge your controller without having to attach it to a PS3. It also has two extra USB ports that lets you charge other peripherals like the wireless keypad or a headset. You can even use it to charge your PSP Slim or the new PSP-3000.

The keypad will be supported in games like LittleBigPlanet, Resistance 2 and even PlayStation Home. The keypad will retail for ¥5,500 (approx $55) and the AC adapter will retail for ¥2,800 (approx $28).

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The new PlayStation Portable model (PSP-3000) is released next week with rumors suggesting that PlayStation Network access will be included. In order to keep older PSP models up-to-date, a new firmware version is expected next week. Several sources are reporting that a new firmware update is imminent, but whether it is firmware 5.00 or 4.20 remains to be seen. Around the same time, a new firmware version for the PlayStation 3 is also expected to be released.

Until Sony confirm this story, it should be taken as a rumor. We will bring you more details on this story as we get it.

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Yesterday at the Tokyo Game Show 2008, Sony announced two more Sackboys to join the existing lineup of Kratos and Nariko. This time it’s Old Snake from Metal Gear Solid 4, and Sephiroth from the PSOne title Final Fantasy 7. The exact details of the two new sackboys were not revealed by Sony promises more information soon. We speculate that these sackboys will be available to purchase from the PlayStation Store when the game is launched later this month. See below for some screenshots.

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Hi all you LittleBigPlanet fans. As you may have seen over the weekend, we gave away some LittleBigPlanet beta keys to two lucky users. Today, we are happy to announce that we have more beta keys to give away thanks to USATODAY.com. The competition is the same as last time – simply become a fan of our Facebook Page and we will choose a bunch of fans at random from our (virtual) hat. We will be giving away beta keys from tomorrow morning to if you are not already a fan – what are you waiting for?

In addition to giving beta keys to selected users, we will be putting one beta key live on the website – the first person to activate the key online will get the beta, and the rest will loose. This will happen at 10:00AM BST tomorrow morning so make sure you visit this page then! Remember, become a fan to win yourself one of several beta keys or be on this page tomorrow morning.

Email from USAToday:

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[­Facebook Fan Page]

[Originally Posted On: 08/10/08 09:36 PM]

UPDATE:

Michael Clarke and C0inj0iner are two of the lucky winners of last night’s LittleBigPlanet beta key giveaway. Michael and C0njoiner, your beta keys has been sent to you via facebook. As for the rest of you, here is unused beta key: 3DJ7-2PB2-HG2F, first person to claim the key wins! You will need to have a US PlayStation Network account in order to use the key. Claiming the key on a non-US account will not work.

If you happen to be in the closed beta of home and finding yourself bored in PlayStation Home, then you are in luck. A new section has opened up for you to visit: the Uncharted Game Room. The games rooms were announced a while back by Sony, but this is the first time they have become available to the public. Other announced games rooms include Warhawk and Killzone 2. Hopefully, more game rooms become available in coming weeks.

How cool would a LittleBigPlanet or GTAIV games room be? The Uncharted games room also has a secret door which can only be entered by a code. Entrering the correct code will unlock new items for you to use in your personal home space. We will try and bring you a video of the new room soon.

According to Kevin Furuichi, Executive Producer on the PlayStation Network, the team is working on getting Qore subscribers into the extended closed beta before the beta goes public. Furuichi claims that more information will be available in about two weeks. With this in mind, Qore subscribers could expect Home Beta access in Episode 6 or earlier. Episode 5 of Qore hits the PlayStation Network Today.

Furuichi’s official response was:

"We’re working on this for the current Extended Closed Beta. We are trying to get you guys into HOME before the official public beta."

Which was in reply to an blog comment from user "scarface3010":

"Thanks for the update Kevin. I really like Qore, I can really tell that you guys/gals put a lot of TLC into each episode. Is there any truth in the rumors that the HOME open beta will be given to Qore subscription holders. Thanks."