Hasta La Gadget!

Not all input devices are created equal. Some of us long for that old coin-op console joystick every time we bring up GalagaREMIX on the iPhone, while others can’t imagine engaging in a first person shooter without the aid of his or her trusty mouse. To that end, PSP hacker TokyoDrift (not his / her real name) has wired an old PS2 mouse into his portable’s serial port, by way of an ATMEL ATmega8 chip-sporting breadboard. The various PSP buttons can be mapped to the mouse’s buttons or scroll wheel, and scaling and sample rates are adjustable. We know there are plenty of you out there that can’t wait to try this one out for yourself — so hit the read link, peruse the forums, and get inspired.

[Via SlashGear]

Continue reading PSP mod adds mouse, a touch of class to Sony’s beloved handheld

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

PSP mod adds mouse, a touch of class to Sony’s beloved handheld originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 May 2009 10:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You can be sure this won’t be the last PSP rumor to surface before E3, but the word going around now is that the so-called PSP Go! (or PSP2, or PSP Slide…) won’t rely primarily on some internal memory for storage as previously speculated, but on something like Sony’s new Memory Stick HG-Micro format, which is about 40MB/s faster than a standard Memory Stick Duo card. That word apparently comes from some “sources close to PSP development” that have spoken to PC World’s Game On blog, who seem to also be suggesting that the Memory Sticks would effectively replace UMDs as a game delivery format, and not simply be used for downloaded games and whatnot. All of which certainly seems reasonable enough, even if it’s still far from being anywhere close to official.

[Via Joystiq]

Filed under: Gaming

Next PSP to rely on Memory Stick HG-Micro for storage? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 May 2009 17:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The concrete details of Sony’s latest–and most significant–update to the PSPwill come at E3 in June, according to “sources directly involved with the new system.” The console has also reportedly been named: Sony will be calling it the PSP Go, in keeping with a recent line of add-ons for the European PSP brand. This information comes from 1up, which says it has confirmed these details with said sources.

The PSP Go, set to arrive in Japan in September and in the States in the months following, will do away with the UMD slot, as expected. Sony, however, will be making available more than 100 older PSP titles for download on the system (Gran Turismo Mobile is among those named).

1Up adds:

As for the hardware itself, the redesign will include a d-pad, analog nub, and face buttons as part of a sliding unit sticking out below the screen (as seen in our mockup above). Unfortunately for those looking for twin-stick shooter controls, the new system will not have a second analog stick, but instead will remain consistent with the current control configuration.

Sony, not surprisingly, isn’t commenting.

There’s a new PSP update in town, so hold onto your calloused thumbs. Firmware 5.50 borrows the PS3’s XMB “Information Board” (pictured) for getting PlayStation and PlayStation Store news wherever you’ve got WiFi and a yearning, and there’s also a games information search that works straight from the XMB as well. The update also brings the incredibly tardy ability to browse Memory Stick sub-folders for media, and Trend Micro Security and Safety for protecting the browser from malicious sites and protecting kids from adult content. It’s not a landmark update, but it’s something.

[Via PSP Fanboy; thanks Allan M.]

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

PSP firmware 5.50 arrives to fulfill your every subfolder exploration need originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 11:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Check it out, all you budding G. Gordon Liddys — if the usual assortment of spy gadgets isn’t doing the job, Sony’s got something in the works that should be right up your alley. According to a little site called Siliconera, Sony’s European arm has filed a patent for a remote-controlled car uses the PSP as an interface. This bad boy is equipped with a camera that feeds video back to the hand held and allows the user to upload the footage to a website. If that weren’t all, the patent makes mention of an augmented reality racing game incorporating virtual markers and paths that the players physically create — that is, the junk in your apartment is incorporated into on-screen game play. Innocent fun, right? Well, perhaps — at least until Iran gets involved. They’re still pretty bent by the whole squirrel thing.

[Via Joystiq]

Filed under: Gaming

Sony patents PSP-controlled spy car originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Apr 2009 12:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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