For those of you who have installed the new custom firmware 3.51 M33 may have noticed that homebrew applications that use Wi-Fi were not working correctly. As a result, the M33 Team have made a patch to fix the problems. Apparently, the problem was caused by Sony’s 3.51 wlan.prx code and not by M33 code.
The 3.51 wlan.prx reportedly affected the 1.50 wlan.prx, stopping WLAN-based homebrew from working. As proof of this, they pointed out that the 3.40 wlan.prx did not have the same problem.
Homebrewers may have a new hero in the mist. Now that Dark_AleX has left the scene, a new team of coders that goes by the name of M33 have taken over his place and have released their own custom firmware utilizing Sony’s firmware 3.51. All of the firmware’s features have been retained, including the PS1 emulator, high video resolution, and MP3 visualizer. You can launch ISO’s and homebrew directly from the XMB, and also play games that require Firmware 3.51.
Other features include:
Please remember that installing a custom firmware is potentially dangerous and could render your PSP useless if the instructions are not followed correctly. XTREME PSP does not take responsibility for your actions, nor does the developers. Use this at your own risk. Please consult the read me file included in the ZIP file for instructions.
[Download Custom Firmware 3.51 M33]
Thanks to Sable for the tip.
In a recent interview, David Reeves mentioned that the 60GB PS3 model will be discontinued in North America, once stock sells out. This move has now been denied by Dave Karraker, SCEA President. Karraker stated that the quotes obtained in the interview in regards to a 60 gigabyte Playstation 3 phase out was “inaccurate”. The claim was backed up by Sony Canada spokesman Kyle Moffatt.
Karraker told Joystiq that “As announced this week, SCEA’s product offering in North America consists of a 80GB PS3 available in August at $599 and a 60GB PS3 available now for $499. We have will have ample supplies of both models to meet the needs of our consumers for the foreseeable future.”
Kaz Hirai however, in a interview, stated that the 60GB PS3 model is no longer in production and will soon be phased out.
Peter Dille, Senior Vice President of Marketing for SCEA, told Gamasutra today that movie download service for PSP and PS3 will be coming very soon, and that the company is actively working on the service. Sony is working hard on the service to ensure that it makes a good impression on consumers when it is launched.
“I think what might convince [people who haven’t picked up a PSP] would be the advent of a service that allows them to put content onto the PSP in an easier fashion,” said Dille. “There’s been a lot of speculation about when we’ll offer our video download service on PSP or PS3, and I think that could be more of a killer application to get people off the fence.”
Dille also said: “We didn’t have any announcements about that at the show, but what I can tell you is we’re working on it, we see that it’s critical, not just for PSP but also for PS3, and it’s something we know is super important to get right. We won’t have a second chance to make a first impression. If we launch it and it’s not right, we’re going to get creamed. So we want to make sure we get the consumer experience right, get the right content, and we’re working really hard on it. And I don’t think we’re talking about years, I think this is something we could get behind really soon.”
[Via: Gamasutra]
Sony has confirmed that they will not be cutting the price of the PlayStation 3 in Europe or releasing a 80GB model – instead it will be offering a Starter Pack containing the console, two games and an extra controller for GBP 425 / EUR 599. The announcement will also affect Australia. SCEE has chosen to bundle first-party titles and a second SIXAXIS controller with a combined RRP of GBP 115, rather than lower the price.
The bundle pack is due on sale in the UK on July 18 and in Europe August 1, the Starter Pack will offer two Sixaxis controllers and a choice of two first-party titles from a list of Resistance: Fall of Man, Motorstorm, Genji: Days of the Blade, Formula One Championship Edition and Ridge Racer 7.
“With sell through of over 1.2 million units in the SCEE territories to date, PlayStation 3 has proved to be an instant and huge success,”
said David Reeves, president of SCEE.
UPDATE (13th July 2007 at 13:55):
With the introduction of the Starer Pack, the PS3 price in the UK will return to £425. Most UK retailers dropped the price of the PS3 to £399 a while back to increase sales, but since the new unit will cost more, it is likely that retailers will increase the price to the original RRP.
SCEE president David Reeves has told GamesIndustry.biz that the 60GB PlayStation 3 will no longer be available in the US after stock sells out – which he predicts will occur by the end of the month. Reeves was speaking at an E3 event to announce the introduction of a new PS3 bundle in Europe. When asked about possible criticisms over whether SCEE should have given consumers the option to pay a lower price, as SCEA has done, he replied, “Well, they’re not really are they, because what the US are offering from the 1st of August is a USD 599 version with one game.
“All they’re doing is taking their stock in trade that they’ve got at the moment of the 60GB model, marking the price down and it will all be gone by the end of July.”
When asked to clarify if this will mean the end of the 60GB model, Reeves answered, “In America, yes.” This blow comes only a few days after the 60GB PS3 was lowered in price, effectively making the price cut void. After stock runs out, the only available model will be the 80GB version retailing at $599, since the 20GB version has already been discontinued.
Sony is confident about meeting its goal of selling 11 million PlayStation 3 units this fiscal year as the recent price cut and a slate of new games draw in consumers. “We’re very well-poised to get to that number on a worldwide basis,” Kaz Hirai, president of Sony Computer Entertainment, told Reuters in an interview. Sony’s fiscal year runs through the end of March.
A high price and relative lack of blockbuster games has dampened sales of the PlayStation 3, and Sony has tried hard to rectify both issues this week at E3, the $30 billion video game industry’s most important trade show. On Monday, Sony cut the PS3’s price in the United States by $100, or 17 percent, to $499, narrowing the gap with Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360, which comes in three versions priced between $300 and $480.
Since it went on sale last November, the PS3 has sold 1.4 million units in the United States through May, compared to 2.8 million units for Nintendo Wii console, according to market research firm NPD. The Xbox 360, which debuted in November 2005, has sold 5.6 million units.
[Via: Reuters UK]
Santa Monica, 12th July 2007 – Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) today announced the availability of a high value Starter Pack for PLAYSTATION 3, comprising a PS3, two first party games and two SIXAXIS wireless controllers, at €599.
Rolling out across the SCEE territories from 13th July, and in all territories by 1st August, the new Starter Pack represents exceptional value for money as an entry point into the exciting world of High Definition interactive entertainment with PLAYSTATION 3.
The choice of first party games available in the Starter Pack will vary to suit the interests of entertainment enthusiasts in each country, but will include million sellers such as Resistance Fall of Man and MotorStorm; titles specifically chosen to demonstrate the stunning graphics and enhanced gameplay of High Definition games on Blu-ray disc.
With an additional wireless SIXAXIS, motion sensitive controller provided for head to head and multi player gaming, the Starter Pack is sure to appeal to those seeking to enhance their entertainment experience with the best of 21st century technology.
“With sell through of over 1.2 million units in the SCEE territories to date, PLAYSTATION 3 has proved to be an instant and huge success”, said David Reeves, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.
“The exceptional value of the new Starter Pack will bring the excitement of PlayStation gaming to a much wider audience. Add to this a stellar lineup of software titles for the second half of the year and we are confident that this amazing value Starter Pack will encourage many more keen gamers to join the PLAYSTATION 3 community”.
Sony has stated many times that the PS3 may not receive a price cut in Europe, but will instead get better value packs. The official announcement isn’t until later today at E3, but we have heard that the European market will be getting a new bundle pack .The ‘PS3 Starter Pack’, retailing for EUR 600 (GBP 410), will come complete with a 60GB PS3, Resistance: Fall of Man and Motorstorm, plus as two SIXAXIS controllers.
The official announcement will be on July 13th 2007, at 5:00 AM BST. We will bring you an update on this story tomorrow.
Sony’s Press Conference yesterday finally revealed details of the new PSP model, however not all the improvements were covered. Kaz Hirai, SCE President, announced that the new PSP will be 33 percent lighter and 19 percent slimmer. He also mentioned that the battery will be more efficient, game loading has improved and also the ability to output video to a TV. What he failed to mention was some of the other improvements, such as removal of the Infra-Red port.
Since the Infra-Red port has been removed, the Wi-Fi switch has been relocated to the top of the PSP, near the USB port. The UMD drive no longer has an eject button, instead, you need to pull open the drive. The old PSP has a lock in the drive allowing the UMD to be locked into place once inserted, the new model however does not have this. This is one of the reasons why the new model is much slimmer.
Game loading has improved by allowing data to be temporarily from UMD, reducing load time during game play much like the PS3. You can now also charge the PSP using the bulit-in USB port, so the console can charge while you transfers files to and from your PSP (only available in USB Connection mode).
Naturally, the new model PSP will come with the latest firmware version pre-installed. The firmware will include options to change the TV display settings much like the PS3 display settings. We also speculate that tougher security measures have been placed on the motherboard, preventing firmware downgrading. While most of the features are great additions, we were disappointed to hear that no onboard storage has been added making the Memory Stick Duo an essential requirement for any portable gamer.
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