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The new firmware update for the PS3 will be released today. Firmware v2.53 will contain many changes to your system settings. The full list of changes will be categorized under each of your XMB sections.

Users

* You now have an option to set the PS3 to turn off automatically after a background download or installation of content. This option is available when you turn off the system while content is being downloaded or installed.

Settings

* BD/DVD has been renamed to Video Settings
* Sequential Playback has been added as an option under Video Settings
* Divx VOD Registration Code has been added under System Settings
* Power Save Settings have been added as an option for the system and controllers. They can now be set to shut off after a certain period of time
* The method for connecting Bluetooth devices has been changed
* You can now choose German, French (Canada) and French (Switzerland) k... More »  


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Mickael2054 has released an updated version of his F1Dumper and manager app. This app lets you dump your PSP's Flash1 directly onto your memory stick. Very useful for those who want Flash1 backups.

Download: PSP F1Dumper And Manager v2.5

The app is now at version 2.5 and includes the following changes:

- A completely redesigned interface xmb
- Displaying the battery-top right (with small battery%)
- Displaying the date and time
- Information on ongoing activities at the various operations
- Adding sounds in the menu
- Left and right buttons to skip to the end / early menu
- Fade images
- Possibility to have as many dumps that we want on its MS (thus restoring choice)
- Optimization of operations (more files copied and less bugs)
- Adding the date in the "About this dump.txt"
- Various audits for more security (if the file exists)
-... More »  


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IGN (linked above) has posted its review of the official Sony wireless keypad for the PlayStation 3, and seems to have a problem with its general design more than anything.

They note that the biggest issue is the top mounted nature of it, but essentially QWERTY keypads for game controllers don't really work that well and its probably best to pick up a microphone and talk.

To quote: But regardless of the poor touch support and ill-advised key design, the biggest issue I had with the Wireless Keypad is that Sony opted to design it as a top mounted add-on. I don't want to seem partial one way or another, but I definitely think Microsoft had it right when they made their keypad attachable between the handles of the Xbox 360 remote.

The keys seem much easier to view and access when they are located just below your thumbs on the thumbsticks. To be fair, the choice in top versus bottom attachment may have been out of Sony's hands. It's possible that Mi... More »  


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To quote via PlayStation Underground: Tomorrow, we are releasing a new version of PlayStation Home called PlayStation Home 1.0. This version will add some exciting new features and fix several known bugs, preparing us for launch into Open Beta. You can find the full list of new features below.

Highlights include new emotes and dance moves for avatars, new arcade games, new ways to launch into games from PlayStation Home, a new game rewards system, and much, much more! We think you’ll enjoy these many changes and improvements.

Home will be down for a period of time tomorrow to prepare for the launch of Version 1.0. I will let you know in the forums when it is back up.

We will be inviting a tremendous number of new beta testers soon, and conducting a massive load test this Friday night, November 21st. We will have an event to celebrate the moment. Stay tuned for further information as your assistance with this event is greatly appreciated.
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There's general agreement that Sony stumbled out of the gate with the PlayStation 3. Months of intense hype were followed by a late launch (fully a year after the Xbox 360) and a staggering $600 price tag for the deluxe model.

Even worse, the PS3 didn't initially have any real must-have exclusive titles, and despite the power of its vaunted Cell processor, multiplatform games from third-party developers didn't look appreciably better than the respective titles on the Xbox 360.

Since then, the company's been modifying the PlayStation product line to better fit the competitive market landscape. As of August 2008, a new "bargain" PS3 is available with a larger, 80GB hard drive, and a "deluxe" model is due in November, doubling the capacity to 160GB.

Both, however, lack backward compatibility with PS2 games and do not come with flash card readers. If those features are a must, it might be best to pick up the 80GB "Metal Gear" bundle version on eBay w... More »  


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Sony's Director of Hardware Marketing John Koller posted a special second birthday wish for the PlayStation 3 via the PS Blog today as follows:

November 17 is a special date for us at SCEA because, as many of you fans know, it’s when we launched PLAYSTATION 3.

Two years ago today, we delivered our next-generation console, providing consumers with a gaming and home entertainment system unlike anything in the market – the power of the Cell Broadband Engine, out-of-the-box HDMI support for 1080p resolution, and a Blu-ray drive for high-definition movies and expansive games.

The PS3’s launch was also when the Resistance franchise was born, and the original title’s success has spawned a blockbuster sequel with Resistance 2 and a unique PSP installment with the upcoming Resistance: Retribution.

But that’s just what we started with, and PS3 has come a long way since November 17, 2006. If you stood in line the night before ... More »  


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Today AhMan has updated iR Shell to 4.7 for the PlayStation Portable, which includes both 5.00 M33 compatibility as well as a revamped iR Sensor.

MK2k has also recently released APPSwitcher for PSP, which is a VSH plug-in that lets you categorize your homebrew for the XMB and switch between each by holding the right shoulder button and d-pad.

Downloads: PSP iR Shell 4.7 / PSP iR Shell 4.7 [Mirror] / APPSwitcher PSP 1.0

PSP iR Shell Changelog:

- Support Dark_AleX latest 5.00M33-3 CFWs. Users of original 5.00M33 & M33-2 should upgrade to M33-3 to avoid incompatibility issues. The latest Popsloader 5.00 is also supported.
- An Infra-Red lear... More »  


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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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