I have at one time asked myself about the dangers of carrying a handheld with you in your pocket and if it could catch on fire, and apparently, I just got my answer
Harold Clay, from
The ironic part of the story is that the boy had Burnout in his PSP when it all happened…
Japanese PSP owners won’t be able to enjoy Skype on their handhelds sooner than western owners, as originally announced, due to an unexpected delay.
According to Kotaku, the PSP’s microphone components failed to meet the requirements set by Skype. The US and European clients will not be affected by this delay, the launch will take place at the end of January, coinciding with a new firmware upgrade.
Skype allows its users to make free voice –over-IP calls, similar to telephone calls.
Old PSP games that still raise interest in gamers but can’t be found at retailers anymore will be made available through the PlayStation Store.
John Koller, SCEA’S Senior Product Manager for the PSP, talked about the possibility of bringing back classics like Wipeout or Twisted Metal, that fans keep asking for, but retailers aren’t interested in carrying, on the PlayStation Network.
Koller also talked about the UMD format movies, saying they are aware that selling old flicks at a price of $29.99 can really upset their customers, and they are willing to cut down the price. The retailers don’t want to hear a word of this though.
After launching a Nintendo Wii replica (the Vii) and a newer, PS3 replica (the so called Vii 2), the Chinese are keeping up the good work, say hello to the PGP 704.
Although this Chinese imitation isn’t even a (inferior) gaming system, like the Viis, the PGP 704 still copies the design of Sony’s handheld, and except for the shape of the directional buttons, it does it pretty well. Unfortunately, the PGP 704 is just an electric buzzer that emits low intensity, harmless shocks.
Hey, it may not have any Skype or GPS features, but you can still use it zap the hell out of your friends, or, if you feel like a con-artist, you could probably sell it to a dumb-ass rich kid, who doesn’t even know what a PSP even is, he just knows he wants one.
There has been no press release to confirm this but there’s undeniable proof on Sony’s CES website: “Call friends, talk trash to fellow gamers or catch up with acquaintances via Skype for PSP system,”
The official announcement is sure to come sometime next week when the upcoming CES show starts, until then we can only dream about how cool having Skype on our PSPs can be. Just think it will be just like using a mobile phone, only FREE. Just dial the Skype account number of the person you want to call and that’s it. It’s similar to Yahoo Messenger and MSN only it specializes in voice transfer.
The idea of having Skype on the PSP isn’t new, gamers have been asking for this service on their handhelds for some time now, it looks like Sony finally to do something and please its customers.
Square Enix has confirmed that updated versions of popular RPGs Final Fantasy I & II will be released for the Sony PSP.
The games have improved visuals and character art, new dungeons to explore and 16:9 widescreen support and also an updated camera view mode that promises to make things look a lot more interesting.
Nice to see some classics come back to life, Square Enix deserves to be commended for giving gamers, that weren’t around in the 80’s, the chance to experience the beginnings of one of the most popular series in video games history.
Sony’s newly launched handheld is doing really well in the company’s native
The new PSP is proving to be quite a challenge for Nintendo’s handheld, the DS Lite, as it grabbed the top spot ever since it launched and it’s doing better and better. The new PSP Slim sold 250.000 units in the first week and the previously launched 77.777 Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core aren’t at all neglectable.
Even though the Nintendo DS is still handheld king in the far-east, Sony’s new handheld model is making a comeback. According to Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, since the new software launch two weeks ago, Sony has sold 250.702 PSP Slim units. And the Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core special edition was also very well received by the public, selling over 75.000 units. That comes to a grand total of 325.000 units sold so far.
Sure we can’t be talking about a close competition between the Nintendo DS and the new PSP Slim, but if Sony’s handheld keeps selling this way, it might become a worthy opponent. Time will tell.
Starting September 21st the PlayStation Store will be available for Japanese PSP owners via their personal computers announces Sony. This service will make the store a lot more accessible for PSP gamers, as it will allow them to easily download PlayStation Network content.
Users are requested to have their own account in order to enjoy the service, if they don’t have one, they can easily register on the PlayStation website. To download material users will just have to connect their PSP system to the PC via USB.
Fans of Star Wars will be thrilled to know Lucas Arts is launching the next game in the saga next Spring. The Force Unleashed for Nintendo’s new generation console will allow players to use their remote as a light saber and the Nunchuk to execute their Force attacks. It all sounds very intriguing, let’s just hope the developers implement the controls well enough. After all, other games have tried to use the Wii’s unique capabilities and failed miserably.
Developer Ready at Dawn finally spilled the release date for God of War: Chains of Olympus, during a visit from the guys at Gamespot. Apparently everyone’s favorite albino mass murderer will be making his big debut on Sony’s handheld, at the beginning of next year, on March 4th.
Gaming systems aren’t doing very well on the Japanese market these days, announces Gamasutra.
According to the market research conducted by Media Create has revealed details about the weekly hardware sales in the week before September 2nd and things aren’t looking up.
The Nintendo DS reached a seasonal low with under 100.000 units sold this week, managing to ship out 94.339 systems. Despite still being console king in the sales chart, the Wii also dropped about 7.000 units this week, with only 39.371 sold units. The Game Boy Advance sold 474 units while the Game Cube managed to ship out a measly 73 systems.
According to Eurogamer, leading developer and publisher SEGA announced the release dates for its most important games of 2007.
Virtua Fighter 5 for the Xbox 360 will be released on the 26th of October. Universe at War for the PC and Ghost Squad for the Nintendo Wii will both ship out on November 2nd.
After first announcing the game for the PlayStation 2 and PSP platforms, Capcom has announced it’s working on a version for the newest addition to the Nintendo family, the Wii.
The game is based on popular TV show Adult Swim, and will have you playing as Harvey Birdman, third-rate superhero turned attorney and charged with defending parodied classic cartoon characters in the courtroom. The game is based on the show’s humorous atmosphere, featuring the young attorney trying to crack the case of the prosecution, by investigating crime scenes, talking to other goofy cartoon characters and gathering evidence.
Capcom has finally released the sequel to one of PSP’s most successful titles, Monster Hunter and I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into the action. And I can tell you I wasn’t the least bit disappointed. The game offers the same hardcore action as the first title making it a worthy successor to the franchise.
GamEater