Dec 08

PS3 firmware 3.15 to add PSP Mini support, simplified console migration

Posted in: firmware, Games, gaming, Mini, playstation, playstation 3, Playstation3, ps3, psp, sony, Today's Chili, update
Didn’t the PS3 just get a firmware update? Something about posting all your hard-earned trophies onto your Facebook page? Yes, that sounds right. If you thought that was a big deal, wait ’til you get a load of this: According to the European PlayStation blog, yet another firmware update is imminent. And this one is pretty sweet — seems that not only will console owners now be able to play PSP Minis, but if you’ve already bought a Mini for your portable and wish to play it on your PS3, you’ll be able to download it to your console for free. Also included in the 3.15 update is a simplified utility for transferring data from one PS3 to another. Pretty great, right? Gamers, be sure to hit the source link for the deets.

PS3 firmware 3.15 to add PSP Mini support, simplified console migration originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Joystiq  |  sourcePlayStation Blog  | Email this | Comments

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Dec 07

Use Your PSP as a Wi-Fi Scanner

Posted in: gaming, psp, Today's Chili, top, wi-fi, Wireless

While having a netbook slightly decreased the hassle of whipping out your laptop to check for wireless nodes, it’s still a pain. If you keep your PSP in your gadget bag, put it to work as a Wi-Fi scanner.

If you live in a city you’re surrounded by free wireless nearly everywhere you go, the key is knowing what’s available and open for use. Much easier than stopping every hundred feet and busting out your laptop is using your tiny PSP as a scanner. At MakeUseOf they cover two techniques for using your PSP to sniff out Wi-Fi locations. The first can be done with a stock PSP. You simply go into the network settings on the PSP and tell it to look for new wireless networks. That will work, but it won’t look continuously just when you ask it to.

If you’ve set up your PSP to run homebrew software you have access to a superior option. Road Dog scans continuously, shows you the strength of the signal, and can even be set to alert mode where it will notify you on new finds even when you’re not paying attention to the scanner. You don’t need to write down the spots it finds, just press the NOTE button on the PSP and it’ll save the information of the network you’re looking at for later use.

If you’re looking for novel things to do with your homebrew-enabled PSP, check out previous articles on how to use your PSP as a universal remote and how to use your PSP as a additional monitor in Windows. Have a favorite PSP application or trick for finding Wi-Fi without the hassle of booting up your laptop? Let’s hear about it in the comments.

Road Dog [via MakeUseOf]
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Dec 04

Screen grabs: House, MD likes a little PSP Go between his high-risk medical procedures

Posted in: gaming, psp, sony, Television, Today's Chili

Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today’s movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com.

There’s one thing (and one thing only) that we know about House, MD. He seriously loves nearly killing people before saving them. Well, that, and he loves chilling out with a PSP Go. What, you hadn’t heard? Yeah, seems old Dr. Greg is pretty into gaming in his downtime — you know, when he’s not downing Vicodin or collecting clues. There’s one more piece of evidence after the break.

[Thanks, Donny]

Continue reading Screen grabs: House, MD likes a little PSP Go between his high-risk medical procedures

Screen grabs: House, MD likes a little PSP Go between his high-risk medical procedures originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 02

Logitech working on UMD drive add-on for the PSP Go?

Posted in: logitech, psp, Today's Chili
There may have been plenty of folks pushing Sony to ditch UMD once and for all with the PSP Go, but there’s at least as many sorry to see it left behind, as evidenced by the continued strong sales of the venerable PSP-3000. While nothing’s official just yet, it looks like Logitech just might now be set to bridge the divide the two handhelds with a UMD drive add-on of some sort for the PSP Go. That word comes form an unnamed source speaking to CVG, who reportedly said that the only problem with the drive is that “it’ll make the PSP a little bulky,” but offered no other details. Of course, there’s also the small problem that the add-on would only add more to the cost of the PSP Go along with the bulk, thereby making the PSP-3000 an even more attractive option, but we’ll hold off on any futher speculation until this thing gets a bit more real.

Logitech working on UMD drive add-on for the PSP Go? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Joystiq  |  sourceCVG  | Email this | Comments

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Nov 28

Sony PSPs enlisted as study aids by the Royal Navy

Posted in: console, education, gaming, handheld, psp, sony, study, Today's Chili, uk

Whoever it was at Sony HQ that decided to pursue “military contracts” as a revenue source, kudos! Mere days after the US Air Force expressed interest in expanding its PS3 supercomputer, we’re hearing glorious Britannia’s Royal Navy has conscripted 230 PSPs into duty as revision aids for its trainee sailors. Loaded with maths and physics materials, the PSPs can be used in a bunk, have familiar controls for the young and mostly male recruits, and are considered pretty tough to break. The underlying reason for this move though is cost cutting: by making the training course more intensive, the Navy is saving on teaching time. Given that the UMD drive won’t come disabled — which is hoped to encourage the sailors to take better care of the device — the future this paints is of marines who’ve spent more time with a freebie handheld console than with a pro instructor. At least they’ll have a great stable of captured monsters to show for it.

[Thanks, pankomputerek]

Sony PSPs enlisted as study aids by the Royal Navy originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Nov 2009 21:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink T3  |  sourceTimes Online  | Email this | Comments

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Nov 23

Sony’s Kaz Hirai confirms ‘premium level’ subscription coming to PSN

Posted in: playstation 3, Playstation3, psp, Today's Chili
Well, Sony may have once downplayed the notion of “catching up” with Xbox Live, but it looks like it is now set to take at least one big cue from its rival. As oh-so-quietly revealed during a presentation on Thursday and now confirmed by Kaz Hirai himself, Sony will be adding a “premium level” subscription service to the PlayStation Network sometime next year. According to Hirai, that subscription will get you “premium content and services,” although exactly what those are remains a bit unclear, as the current level of service will apparently remain free, and continue to include features like Facebook, Netflix, and the ability to play games online. Also up in the air is any word on a price or launch date, although the timing of the announcement does seem to suggest that we might just be hearing more about this at CES.

[Thanks, Erick]

Sony’s Kaz Hirai confirms ‘premium level’ subscription coming to PSN originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 20

PlayStation 3 Video Delivery Service spreads to Europe

Posted in: console, europe, germany, playstation, playstation 3, Playstation3, ps3, psp, sony, streaming, Today's Chili, uk

When Sony isn’t busy adding Facebook functionality or potentially courting Firefox for its PS3, it likes nothing better than to dream of global all-encompassing online services and stores. A step toward that goal is the company’s recent introduction of the PS3 Video Delivery Service into the heart of Europe. PlayStation loyalists in Deustchland, España, France, and the United Kingdom can now use their beloved console (or the PSP) to grab movies from a selection that is set to grow at a consistent pace of 50 new films being added per week. Both SD and HD versions are available, with the cheaper variants going for €1.99 / £2.49 to rent or €7.99 / £6.99 to purchase, and you can see a trailer for the new service after the break.

Continue reading PlayStation 3 Video Delivery Service spreads to Europe

PlayStation 3 Video Delivery Service spreads to Europe originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Joystiq  |  sourcePSN UK  | Email this | Comments

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Nov 19

Sony’s Blu-ray digital copies tested on PS3, PSP

Posted in: blu-ray, playstation, playstation 3, Playstation3, ps3, psp, Today's Chili

We’ve seen digital copies of Blu-ray via separate DVDs before (e.g. Watchmen), and just recently Sony finally cut out of the middle disc and put the transferable video on the high-def disc itself. Joystiq recently showcased how it’s done using a copy of Godzilla and a PlayStation 3. For this you’ll need a PSN account and the 12-digit code included in the disc case. The standard definition video, here clocking in at 2GB, will copy to the hard drive (not a separate download, thankfully), and then if you want to the PSP. All in all, it’s approximately a five-minute process. We can’t help but agree, the early batch of supported films — The Ugly Truth, Angels & Demons, and Godzilla from 1998 — isn’t exactly fine cinema dining, but surely this is just a sign of things to come. Want to see all the nitty-gritty details in action? Check out the video after the break.

Continue reading Sony’s Blu-ray digital copies tested on PS3, PSP

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Sony’s Blu-ray digital copies tested on PS3, PSP originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceJoystiq  | Email this | Comments

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Nov 19

Sony to expand PlayStation Network into Sony Online Service, sell music, books, videos

Posted in: Movies, Music, playstation, ps3, psp, reader, sony, Today's Chili, video

Sony had a big management meeting in Japan today, where the tech giant announced some extremely vague plans for what’s initially being called the Sony Online Service — a new “iTunes-like” service built on the PlayStation Network that will sell books, music, and movies. That’s really all we know for now — Sony execs didn’t set a launch date or provide any specifics — but the move’s been rumored for a while and makes total sense, considering Sony’s huge investment in running PSN and vast array of products it could tie into the service, like the Reader e-book line, the PSP, and the various Network Walkmans. Now, whether or not Sony can manage to make good on this massive potential remains to be seen — we’ve got high hopes, but this isn’t a small challenge.

Sony to expand PlayStation Network into Sony Online Service, sell music, books, videos originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink AppleInsider  |  sourceBusinessWeek, Impress  | Email this | Comments

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Nov 17

Amazon offers $50 PSN card with PSP Go purchases, for tonight only

Posted in: amazon, deal, psp, Today's Chili

Hey impulse buyers, want a PSP Go? Amazon is offering a $50 PSN card for anyone who picks up the portable tonight, in black or white. Seeing as you’ll be having to spend that much on digital titles anyway, it’s a pretty good long-term $50 discount, bringing the suggested value of the Go to about $195. It’s still not as financially sound an option as a PSP-3000, but if you value style over price figures and disc-based media, this might be one of the best incentives before Christmas. Offer ends at midnight PT / 3:00AM ET — after that, it turns right back into a pumpkin.

[Via Joystiq]

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Amazon offers $50 PSN card with PSP Go purchases, for tonight only originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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