Hasta La Gadget!

Sony may or may not have given up on the UMD format, but it’s safe to say that KIRFsters never really got on board in the first place. There’s a long and storied line of PSP knockoffs, and none have had room for little spinny discs. This latest one doesn’t either, but it will play 720p video in a slew of formats, serve up game ROMs in a variety of flavors, tune in FM radio, and take two megapixel pictures. It sports a 4.3-inch, 480 x 272 screen, which won’t do much justice to those 720p vids, but with only 8GB of storage there’s not much room for high-def content anyway. Just $88 gets you one, but if you order 15 you can save a whole buck!

[Via PMP Today]

Filed under: Gaming

Keepin’ it real fake, part CCXXXIV: JXD1000 PSP clone has no UMD drive, shame originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Put away black mourning clothes, PSP owners, there’s life yet in them thar UMDs. When the PSP Go was announced it seemed like there was little time left for the plucky (and generally disliked) format, and indications that Sony had planned to ditch it “since the very beginning” were further nails in its apparent coffin. But now, according to a particularly reliable tipster (who accurately predicted the PS3 Slim in June, right down to the inclusion of proper buttons), there’s a PSP-4000 inbound that will still sport a UMD drive. According to the tip this new machine will live along-side the Go, but little is known beyond that… other than it’s apparently “nothing to actually get excited about.” Tell that to the kids with the Lumines discs rattling away in the spokes of their bicycles.

Filed under: Gaming

Seemingly solid PSP-4000 rumors give new hope for UMD fans originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The PS3 Slim might be getting all the attention today, but the new PSP Minis bite-sized games and PSP Digital Comics service are actually potentially game-changers as well — so of course they get their own promo videos. Minis are 100MB or smaller games that will launch on the PlayStation Store the same day the PSP Go arrives, and while the launch lineup doesn’t have any standout must-haves, we think they’ll be quite popular. The real sleeper might be the Digital Comics service, though, which will launch with Marvel titles and eventually add more publishers — although pricing and other details haven’t been announced, we’ve got a feeling quite a few PSP owners will be into the idea of getting comics on the go. Innovative new ideas or clever reaction to games and ereaders on the iPhone? Hit the break, watch the videos, and sound off.

Continue reading PSP Minis, Digital Comics get their own promo videos

Filed under: Gaming

PSP Minis, Digital Comics get their own promo videos originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony just announced a bunch of tweaks and additions to the PS3, PSP, and PlayStation Network at GamesCom, chief among them the new PS3 firmware 3.0. The new code features animated themes with avatars, a new status indicator, a modified friends list, assorted interface changes, tweaks to trophies, and a What’s New section that replaces the Information Board. Sony’s also bringing the PlayStation Video store to the UK, France, Germany and Spain in November, with more planned expansion in 2010 — customers will be able to rent and buy films in SD and HD, and while it’ll open with just movies, other content will be added as time goes on. The PSP is also getting a Digital Reader comics viewer, with lots of heavy hitters like Marvel on board to provide content — Marvel says the PSP could become their biggest distribution outlet. We’ll see about that — for now, check a video of firmware 3.0 after the break.

Update: Digital Reader press release after the break.

Continue reading Sony announces PS3 firmware 3.0, European PlayStation Video Store, Digital Reader comics viewer

Filed under: Gaming

Sony announces PS3 firmware 3.0, European PlayStation Video Store, Digital Reader comics viewer originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve known for a while now that “snackable” content (inexpensive apps for instant gratification) was in the cards for the PSP, a fact that supports rumours reported by Pocket Gamer that handheld games for the PlayStation Network will be priced in the €1-5 range — on par with Apple’s App Store. In addition, it seems that the company has been “actively sourcing” iPhone developers to bring their existing titles to PSN. Who knows? Maybe the quick’n’easy approach to games (and someday apps?) will take some of the sting out of the PSPgo’s “premium” price point. Either way, if all this is true it’s turning out to be a red letter day for iPhone devs.

[Via gamesindustry.biz]

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

Sony to court iPhone devs, match App Store pricing? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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