Team M33 have updated their Custom Firmware to version 3. This time, a significant number of features have been added to the firmware including access to flash2 and flash3, as well as the use of popsloader from firmware 3.30. Check out the full change log below.

Changes:

• Added more speeds: 75 and 133.
• Added flash2 and flash3 access via USB to recovery
• Added a setting in recovery to change the USB device to which XMB will connect.
• Added "vshmenu", which is a menu that will appear when HOME is pressed in the XMB.
• Added UMD video ISO support.

Changes in popsloader:

• Support for 3.30 firmware. Instructions are same as in previous release, except 3.30
  firmware did not have libpspvmc.prx, so just ignore that file.
  • Warning: There is an incompatibility between 3.30 savedata and later ones. If a savedata exists from 3.40+, the emulator will freeze.

Some notes about the usage of vshmenu, and umd video isos:

• vshmenu cannot be loaded when the browser is active. If you exit the browser, the firmware will
  still keep it in memory until you enter other area of xmb, until you do so, you will not be able
  to access vshmenu again either.
• video isos and the game isos show in xmb use the same core. Due to this, when you enter in game
  menu and there is some iso, if a video iso was currently mounted, it will automatically be unmounted.
• CSO format is not supported for video ISOS.
• UMD audio ISOs are theoretically supported, but not tested.

[Download Custom Firmware 3.53 M33 v3]

If you are looking forward to getting your hands on Jeanne D’Arc, the upcoming RPG about Joan of Arc, then you may be happy to hear that Sony is giving away a demo UMD of the game for free. Sony did a similar promotion in Japan before Jeanne D’Arc was released. If you are interested in getting your hands on the demo, you will find the link below.

Follow the link below and click on the “Get a free UMD Demo” link. Jeanne D’Arc is a tactical RPG, with similar gameplay to Final Fantasy Tactics.

[Get Jeanne D’Arc Demo]

[Via: Jeanne D’Arc Website]

Ubisoft’s upcoming shooter Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 has finally gone “gold” for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable, and are now locked and loaded for their anticipated August 21 release date. The game was originally slated for a spring 2007 release, but was delayed by Ubisoft back in January.

Both the PS3 and PSP versions of GRAW2 was developed by Red Storm Entertainment. The PS3 version willr retail for $59.99 (GBP 30, EUR 45) and the PSP version will retail for $39.99 (GBP 20, EUR 30). The demo is available on the PlayStation Network Store so why not check it out until the game hits the shops.

[Via: GameSpot]

This week’s set of updates for the UK PlayStation Store is even smaller than that of last week, but thankfully a new demo has been added. The second installment to the “making of” and “animation” videos for Heavenly Sword has also been uploaded. A playable demo of Armored Core 4 has been added, which has already been available on the US PSN store for sometime. The US, on the other had, has several new additions to the PlayStation Store including two new playable demos.

UK Update List:

• Playable Demos
  • Armored Core 4
• Game Videos/Trailers
  • Heavenly Sword Anime No. 2
  • Heavenly Sword “Making Of” No.

US Update List:

• Playable Demos
  • DIRT
  • NCAA Football 2008
• Game Videos/Trailers
  • Heavenly Sword Anime No. 2
  • Heavenly Sword “Making Of” No. 2
  • Folklore “A Tale of Two Strangers” Trailer
  • Timeshift Trailer
• Movie Trailers
  • The Brothers Solomon Red Band
  • WALL-E
  • The Lives of Others
• Wallpaper
  • Heavenly Sword Anime No. 2 Wallpaper
  • Blast Factir Advanced Research Wallpaper 1 and 2

[Originally Posted On: 16/08/07 06:53 PM]

The release dates for several exclusive first-party PlayStation 3 titles have been revealed for Europe. The release dates for Lair, Heavenly Sword, Warhawk, Eye of Judgement, Folklore have all been confirmed by Sony. Warhawk will not be released on the same date as the US, but will instead launch on September 12th as reported earlier.See the list of release dates below.

• September 12th 2007 – Warhawk (Incl. Headset Bundle)
• September 19th 2007 – Heavenly Sword
• October 10th 2007 – Folklore
• October 24th 2007 – Lair
• October 24th 2007 – The Eye of Judgement
• October – SingStar

According to The Official PSP Magazine Calling All Cars, a online game currently available for the PlayStation 3 from the PlayStation Store, is soon making its way to the PSP. Calling All Cars is a cartoonish multiplayer game, which has you zooming around colourful environments chasing down criminals and sending them back to jail. The game will include “comprehensive multiplayer modes in both Ad Hoc and Infrastructure,” according to the magazine.

A release date has not been confirmed yet, and it is also unclear whether the game will be available via the PlayStation Store update of the original game or as a seperate title. Look out for more information soon.

Coincidently, a new PSP firmware will be released around the same time as the new slim PSP (PSP-2000) hits the stores. The update may contain additional features for both models, but will mainly fix a bug that causes PS1 title Biohazard Director’s Cut to malfunction on certain game modes. The new firmware, possibly 3.60, may contain features for the new PSP model to allow the additional functionality the model allows.

The official statements reads:

"If you are using PSP with OS version 3.52 to play PlayStation classic game Biohazard Director’s Cut which is purchased at Playstation Store, there might be malfunction happening in the ORIGINAL, BEGINNER, and ARRANGE modes.

The malfunction is expected to be fixed in the next PSP OS Update (tentatively scheduled in the beginning of September). The game is running properly on PlayStation 3. We apologize for any inconvenience this might have caused.

Please kindly be advised to update your PSP to the latest version once the next software update is available."

[Via: PlayStation Asia]

The launch of the PSP download service has been held back due to Digital Rights Management (DRM) issues, which is used to protect content from getting pirated. According to John Koller, head of Marketing for SCEA, Sony is still working on DRM issues. As a result, a solid launch date has not been revealed, however, new details about the service were revealed.

The PSP store will support a variety of content including short form, and once music and movies are made available in the service, Koller promises that they will be of the same quality as UMD movies. Jack Tretton, SCEA President said:

"I think the advent of a long awaited and quite frankly long overdue ability to deliver a downloadable service for the PSP will help us out a great deal… Hopefully we’ll have it out there by the fall."

Dylan Jobe, Game Director for Warhawk, has confirmed that Warhawk is still on schedule for simultaneously release worldwide. A comment on the blog post for Warhawk FAQs states that SCEE is working hard to get Warhawk ready for release in the UK in sync with the US version.

"I want to let you all know that our SCEE team is working very, very hard on getting the game ready. And I want to assure all of our UK players that we *do* care very much about shipping Warhawk simultaneously with the US version and that is still our goal.

We just want to make sure that when we say “we’re gold” we really are done! These things have to bake for awhile before we can feel comfortable saying “it’s done”…

…I know you all can appreciate that."