Over the months there has been a lot of inaccurate information circulating in regards to how exactly the PlayStation 3's Service Mode works, and as promised in our previous Dev updates here are some of the facts to help separate the rumors and speculation.
It is a fairly simple process as follows.. For starters, the PS3 is powered off, and a special USB dongle, known as the Jig, is connected. The PS3 is then turned on, and then off, once it has detected the Jig.
After this occurs, the PS3 is then turned back on, into "Service" Mode. From here, the PS3 is re-flashed using a Firmware Update on a USB stick, specifically designed to only install from the Service Mode. Once the PS3 is re-flashed with the software, it is then used in conjunction with a PC running customized software, specifically the DEX.exe and CEX.exe's.
There are a multitude of special PS3 firmwares, basically three major ones. The first is a Core System, followed by the Service Sys... More »
In just a few days Mirror's Edge will arrive for PS3 (Nov 11) and XBox 360 (Nov 14), which contains many other game tunes as part of the soundtrack.. and EA has made available five of these from the entire soundtrack for download.
You can grab these five tracks for free by downloading them HERE. (29.4MB)
Mirror's Edge MP3 Pack Contents:
- 01 Armand Van Helden Mix 2.mp3
- 02 Paul Van Dyk Mix 1.mp3
- 03 Benny Benassi Mix 1.mp3
- 04 Junkie CL Mix 1.mp3
- 05 Teddybears Mix 1.mp3
Based on reviews from the demo, it appears many gamers are quite excited about Mirror's Edge thus far. We can not wait until the retail version arrives!
Per Eric Lempel (Director, PlayStation Network Operations) of the PS Blog today:
Hi, everyone, I wanted to give you a heads up about an upcoming PS3 Firmware Update (v2.52). This minor update is coming soon and includes the following:
- The playback quality of some PS3 format software has been improved.
- A text entry issue that occurs when using the on-screen keyboard, USB keyboard or Bluetooth keyboard with some PS3 format software has been addressed.
Download: PS3 Firmware 2.52 (US) / PS3 Firmware 2.52 (EU)
Many people have been wondering exactly what the differences are between Development and Retail PlayStation 3 Systems, and we figured now would be a great time to clarify these along with reporting some new findings.
Aside from the different hardware revisions of the PS3's motherboard, the systems are virtually the same as mentioned in previous posts. We have examined multiple PS3 TEST's, Retail PS3's, Demo Unit PS3's, and even Factory Mode PS3's, and found that there are no hardware differences between them at all.
Mind you, there are differences, but they are due to the hardware revision, not due to the systems themselves. To make that more clear, the units are identical to their counterparts of the same hardware revision.
So, the question is- what's the difference? Software!
We all know the difference is in the software, and after examining countless dumps from these systems, on top of flash dumps given to us by you, our loyal re... More »
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Below is a recent interview with the very friendly Ben LeRougtel of Capcom, who enthusiatically answered some questions on Resident Evil 5 courtesy of XCN.
XCN: What makes a classic Resident Evil game?
BL: It’s fear and tension. If you look at some of the enemies you encounter in Resident Evil games they’re always grotesque and you’re not sure what they’re made up of - sometimes they’re part human, sometimes they’re complete abominations of nature. But Resident Evil 5 has moved away from that survival horror tag that was there in the beginning.
It has more of an action feel to it but still the tension is there and it’s intensified with the addition of co-op. It’s a very different experience - normally your Resident Evil mindset is “me, me, me!” and it’s just about your survival. Now you’ve got to worry about someone else as well, and if the other person is only out for themselves it makes the game ver... More »
The Consumerist reported over the weekend that electronics retailer Circuit City was closing 155 stores in an effort to cut costs.
Today, the company made it official via the Press Release linked above. Liquidation sales at the affected locations will begin on November 5. Below is the complete list.
Store Location Closings:
Store # / Store Name / Street Address / City / State / ZIP
3280 ANNISTON 704 SOUTH QUINTARD AVE ANNISTON AL 36201
829 TRUSSVILLE 3555 ROOSEVELT BLVD TRUSSVILLE AL 35235
3240 FAYETTEVILLE 744 EAST JOYCE BLVD FAYETTEVILLE AR 72703
441 AVONDALE 10140 W MCDOWELL RD AVONDALE AZ 85392
3330 CHANDLER 3456 WEST CHANDLER BLVD CHANDLER AZ 85226
3580 GILBERT 2817 S MARKET ST GILBERT AZ 85295
3760 GOODYEAR 15433 WEST MCDOWELL RD GOODYEAR AZ 85338
436 MESA 1530 WE... More »
Recently requiem4d has posted on GBATemp.net (linked above) news of a new Nintendo Wii "SoftChip" Backup Loader.
From the official Project Page:
Softchip is designed to allow booting of 1:1 backup discs on your Wii.
Goals:
• Allow booting of 1:1 Wii Disc backups Region/Video patching to allow booting of imported discs and backups of imports
• As close to 100% compatibility as possible
• Compatibility with consoles of all drive types
• Allow booting of non-standard ISO9660 Homebrew Wii discs
• Store configuration to SD or USB drive to allow configurable autoboot
Wishlist:
• Ability to use Ocarina-style codes
• Compatibility with Waninkoko's decrypted disc format
• Runtime patching of the System Menu & Starlet to use the Disc Channel to load discs
• Remove the need for any cIOS
•... More »
Last week we reported on PlayStation 3 Firmware Update 2.51 for Demo units, however, until now all we could do was speculate on what changes it offered.
According to Product-Reviews (linked above), it appears as if Sony's PS3 2.51 (or next) Firmware update will be fixing the 2.50 black and white issues that seem to be caused by the PlayStation 3 forcing your TV to 60Hz.
This problem is apparently to do with older TV’s and does not affect HDTV’s or some models of PS3, as one PR user said that it can be corrected by going to video settings and scrolling all the way to the bottom and change the 50Hz setting from auto to 50Hz.
To quote: Thought I’d give Sony a ring too. They confirmed that they do know about it and the next patch will fix it. The only thing they couldn’t do is say when that patch would come out. But the rep said it was like... More »
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