SCEE announced that the first 500,000 purchasers of PlayStation 3 who registered on the PlayStation Network will each receive a Blu-ray disc movie of Casino Royale, starring James Bond newcomer Daniel Craig. Casino Royale will debut on a 50GB dual-layer Blu-ray disc encoded in MPEG-4 AVC. With a ground breaking collection of added-value features in 1080P High Definition visual quality, and with uncompressed audio features for the best possible audio experience, making it the perfect starter for the PS3.

Darren Carter, VP Brand and Consumer Marketing said,

“The PLAYSTATION Network unlocks the broad range of interactive entertainment features of PLAYSTATION 3. It’s easy to set up, offers free online gaming, has great tools for staying in touch with friends and family, and includes a wide variety of content for download through the PLAYSTATION Store.

All this, and more, will enable users to experience a whole new world of interactive entertainment, and that is why we are offering the phenomenal incentive of Casino Royale, on Blu-ray disc, to PS3 owners who register on the PLAYSTATION Network. Casino Royale not only makes the most of the features and capabilities of the Blu-ray format, but is one of the most exciting and entertaining movies to debut on Blu-ray this year.”

Those who remember the PSP launch in September 2005 will remember that Sony done a similar promotion and gave away 1 million copies of Spiderman 2 on UMD. If you are lucky to get your hands on a console come March 23rd, don’t forget to register!

[Via: SCEE]

As promised, Dark_AleX has released the Firmware 3.11 POPS PRX to be used in Firmware 3.10 OE. Dark_AleX previously mentioned that he will not be creating Firmware 3.11 OE since the only change between 3.10 and 3.11 was the POPS PRX. So, thanks to DAX, you can now use the Firmware 3.11 POPS PRX in Firmware 3.10 OE so you can enjoy better PlayStation 1 compatibility. This plugin allows you to run all PSX game from firmware 3.00 to 3.11. This PRX does not need flashing and instead runs as a plugin so it can be enabled/disabled as required. See the readme file for instructions.

[Download]

Its been over a month since the last issue and we know many people have been eagerly waiting for this issue so here it is. Issue 9 of PSP M4M: Magazine 4 Men is finally out with over 110 pages of great content dedicated to Valentines Day, while including other topics. DK Jr. says this issue contains articles on ideas for dates, some unusual news articles and a few crucial health topics.

Here is a summary of the content:

• History behind Valentines Day
• Looking Your Best
• Unusual News
• What Kind of Date?
• Excessive Masturbation
• How Much is Too Much
• Does Size Really Matter?

A note from DK Jr.

"I hope everyone likes this issue. We apologize for the delay in releasing this issue, but we were short in staff. We would like people to tell us what the like about the Magazine and what they would like to see. We are trying to establish a regular set of features for each issue rather than releasing lots of special issues. You will find the contact email in the magazine."

[Download]

HMV is now offering the PS3 on first come first serve basis when it comes out on the March 23rd. After receiving heavy criticism from other retailers, HMV have decided to remove the deal PSP/PS3 bundle available for GBP 625, and instead offer pre-orders in the traditional way. The previous offer is now unavailable, but HMV are offering customers a refund if they purchased the original bundle.

The launch date for the PlayStation 3 is nearing and a total number of 220,000 units are expected to be available by March 23rd, so better pre-order them quick Only a limited number of consoles will be available for pre-order online, while the rest will be available from in-store.

As promised by Sony last week, PSP Firmware 3.11 is now available to download. Problems with PlayStation Titles in Firmware 3.10 caused Sony to release this latest firmware update in order to correct the compatibility issues. Not other features have been included apart from a new option allowing you to restart a game. See below for the change log.

Game

• Support for PLAYSTATION Network titles have been strengthened
• [Game reset] was added to the menu.

There has been no mention of strengthened security measures by Sony so we could expect a update to Dark_AleX’s Custom Firmware to include 3.11. This also leads us to believe that the “goofy” exploit remains in the system software – allowing for possible downgrading.

[Via: PlayStation Japan]

You can upgrade to the latest version in the usual ways, by either using the Network Update feature on the PSP or by using your PC to download the update from the PlayStation Website (be sure to visit the correct regional website).

Dark_AleX has updated his Custom Firmware, 3.10 OE A, to 3.10 OE A2. A2 (also known as A’ or revision 2) fixes a few minor bugs in games like Metal Slug 6. Other than the bug fixed, there is nothing new added. The installation process is much simpler and can be installed in less than a minute. Simply download the update, copy it to /PSP/GAME150/ folder (the folder depends on which kernel you are using) and run the EBOOT from the PSP XMB. Simple right?

It is not necessary to update to the latest version, however, if another update comes along it is a good idea to update to A2 and then to the next version. Sony will be releasing Firmware 3.11 soon and if all goes well, we could be looking at 3.11 OE.

UPDATE

Installation Note: If you are using the Firmware 1.5 kernel, you can update by copying the 3.10 A2 EBOOT to /PSP/GAME/. If you are using the Firmware 3.10 kernel, you will need to put the A2 update EBOOT in /PSP/GAME150/ in order for it to run from the XMB.

[Download 3.10 OE A2 Update]

Square Enix has finally announced the release date for the remake of Final Fantasy I and II. Final Fantasy I and II were originally seen on the Famicom/NES and later ported to the PlayStation and GBA. The remake of Final Fantasy I will be released in Japan on April 19th, and will retail for JPY 3,800 (approx USD 32). US and European release dates have yet to be announced.

We still have no details about what to expect in the remakes of both these games, but hopefully we will get them soon. The release date for Final Fantasy II is still to be announced as well as any other plans Square Enix has lined up for the 20th Anniversary of Final Fantasy.

[Via: IGN]

Sony will be releasing Firmware 3.11 in the second week of February (week commencing February 5th 2007) because of problems with playing the PlayStation One Title, R-Types. Sony reports that the problems that occur in Firmware 3.10 do not occur in Firmware 3.03, but unlucky for those who updated to 3.10. Sony therefore apologizes to anyone who experienced this problem. The exact details about the problem regarding R-Types is unknown but details can be found on the Japanese PlayStation Website.

Firmware 3.11 may also include a security patch to fix the recent “goofy” exploit in Firmware 3.03, although this is not confirmed. We will keep you updated about any developments. In the mean time, you can check out the Japanese article using the link below.

[Via: PlayStation Japan]

Dark_AleX has does it again! Firmware 3.10 was released and decrypted only a few days ago and already Dark_AleX has created a new Custom Firmware, 3.10 OE-A (Open Edition Revision A). Installing 3.10 OE-A will require the Firmware 1.5 and 3.10 EBOOTs to create a new DATA.DXAR files. Those familiar with installing previous versions of OE will have no problems with updating to this edition. But as always there is risk of bricking your PSP if the instructions are not followed.

Here is the change log:

• Change from Firmware 3.03 to Firmware 3.10
• 4th level of brightness can now be selected also without using the AC Adaptor.
• Changes in hen core:
• Static user ELF’s can now be executed in the 3.10 kernel. (this includes snes user version between other programs)
• Tyranid’s patch (added in 3.03 OE-C) consequences was not explained very well in the changelog of 3.03 OE-C:
  • For programmers: it allows kernel modules to have user imports, making kernel programming in 3.03/3.10 less strict.
  • For users: plugins and applications that worked in 2.71 SE, but not in OE, may now work in 3.03 OE-C and 3.10 OE-A

POPS-related important note

The plugin to load 3.02 pops won’t work anymore in 3.10 OE, due to some changes in pops modules structure. A new plugin for 3.10 could be written next week.

[Download Firmware 3.10 OE A]

UPDATE

Something that wasn’t mentioned in the change log is that 3.10 OE A works with PAL PSX ISOs properly. If you tried to use PSX ISOs before (on either 3.02 OE or 3.03 OE), you mave have noticed that the display is slightly cut off on top. This is not the case with 3.10 OE anymore, as several people have reported. The problem was most likely fixed by Sony, since their change log did mention better PSX game compatibility.