We recently purchased a new 80GB PlayStation 3 console, and our very own PS3 Dev Courier dissected his new system.

The item that peaked his interest the most was that it had one single 56-pin Flash chip, the S29GL128N90TFIR2, and was 128MB in size in contrast to older PS3 consoles utilizing dual (2x256MB) 48-pin chips totaling 512MB. So, he bought a new adapter, and some blank chips and proceeded to pull the 56-pin flash, and dumped it.

To our surprise, he was unable to dump more than 16MB of it! At first, we believed that the other blocks in the flash were protected via password, however there was something else brewing.

He took the 16MB dump that was made and flashed it onto a completly blank chip, and reinstalled it in the PS3.

To our surprise, it worked!

Now, if you recall, newer version PS3 Firmwares have ask... More »  


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Since today all the owners of a PS3 with infectus could begin to experiment with the firmware patching. :)

Please share ideas questions and feedbacks in this thread comments, it would be appreciated.

Download: PS3 NAND Flow Rebuilder v3.50 BETA

NDT ;-)

From ReadMe: PS3 NAND FLOW REBUILDER v3.50 (including ECC Algo by RPS).

This tool allows to unscramble the blocks of a PS3 dumps ordering them in a way that the dumps become readable and extractable!

It also allow you to re-scramble back to the original order once you modified the data you wants, then from now on it include the ECC recalculation algorithm that was private until today.

It's for study and tests purposes, for experienced people only (devs) that this way can manage the files inside the flashes and patch sensible areas.

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The PS3 has mandatory game HDD installs. No surprises there right? Since the beginning of the console gamers have complained that the PS3 has forced them to abandon the former gamer ritual and buy, unpack and play, adding the additional and sometimes painful step of WAIT between savage unpack (ripping off shrinkwrap is always fun) and the satisfying play.

Some installs have hardly taken any time, while others (Devil May Cry 4) feel like an eternity of wait time which creates the sensation of smelling a fresh baked batch of cookie chip cookies (or insert your favorite kind of cookie) that still has time left in the oven.

The install can be fixed redeemed however. The beauty of it is that the solution has been staring us gamers in the face since day 1 as well. The solution? PSN. I know, I know, you’re wondering how that makes any sense, so without further adieu, here it is.

Place the install data on PSN.

It’s so simple... More »  


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When you go to the multiplayer screen where it would say PSN/Xbox live, Split Screen, System link, Options, Single player and then at the bottom "Game experience may change during online play."

Above that sentence there is a what looks like another sentence that has been rubbed out or something.

A few people who I have shown it to have had the game since day 1, but never noticed it was there.

Here is a picture of the menu for the PC its not very clear, but you get the idea.

Has anyone else experienced this?


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Taku Imasaki (Producer, SCEA) of the PS Blog writes today:

Hello Blog Readers and GT Fans! I enthusiastically return to the blog with very good news. Hitting on our promise to continue to evolve the GT series, a new update for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is NOW available. This update adds three new vehicles to the game’s line-up, plus a number of gameplay and performance enhancements we think you’ll be excited about. Here we go…

New Vehicles
All three vehicles and manufacturers have special ties to Gran Turismo developer Polyphony Digital. They will be added to their respective Dealership areas in GT5 Prologue.

GT by Citreon - The “GT by Citroen” concept car is the result of a groundbreaking collaboration between French automaker Citroen and Polyphony Digital. The formal debut of the vehicle took place yesterday at the Paris Motor Show, coinciding with the release of today’s update to the game. A video of the “GT by C... More »  


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Everyone is going absolutely nuts over the LittleBigPlanet BETA, as multiple gaming sites all over the Internet are giving away thousands of access codes. But you may not have to get lucky if you wish to play the game before its October 21 release date...

According to reliable inside information delivered by a reader, it seems Sony plans to open up the BETA testing during the final week to give everyone a shot at it. Essentially, they produce the closed BETA to generate hype and interest, and then open it up to the public in the form of a playable demo a week before the game launches. The tipster in question posted the following in the Blu-Ray.com forums-

"If you don't get in, don't worry. They are supposed to be opening up the public BETA for the final week. Last I heard they were still planning on doing so, this closed BETA is just there to generate a bit (a lot) of hype for the game before it releases. Basically they are talking about turning the limited t... More »  


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So I make no secret of the fact I LOVE Bioshock. It was my game of the year last year by a long way. Yeah COD4 was a great game and I am still playing that. Halo Jesus really was not the game it should of been - please don’t flame me it’s just my opinion and Mass Effect had too many little issues. So Bioshock really stood out for me.

So it was with great delight that I found out it was coming to my shiny black paperweight. The trouble is, would it play well on the PS3?

Well the demo hit the PSN (all regions thanks you 2k/Sony!) and I downloaded it as soon as I got home. It took a little under and hour to drop down the 1.8GB demo (holy crap demos are getting bigger !) and around ten minutes to install (go figure!).

It was with real trepidation that I launched the game and waited for the menu to roll up. First thing you notice is just how many teams worked on this game! 2K Boston, 2K Australia, Digital Extremes etc - That never sounds good! More »
 


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We whetted your appetite with 10 Xbox 360 tricks Microsoft won't tell you, now here are seven more handy tips to help you get the best out of your console.

1. System updates by disc

Not got your console online yet, or having trouble downloading the latest dashboard update? Try downloading it from a web-connected PC or Mac instead and burning it to a CD. Grab the latest (well, latest-ish - hopefully Microsoft will update the page soon) update from the XBox 360 System Updates page, burn it to disc, then pop that disc into the 360 and turn it on. You'll be prompted automatically as to whether you want to run the update.

2. The towel trick

Bit of a controversial one this, at least as long as you count "possibly burning your house down" as controversial. What it is is a short-term fix for the infamous red rings of death, the mournful LEDs that announce your 360 is deaded. There are various theories about why it works, but the... More »  


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