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 $600 price tag for the deluxe model.
Even worse, the PS3 didn't initially have any real must-have exclusive titles, and despite the power of its vaunted Cell processor, multiplatform games from third-party developers didn't look appreciably better than the respective titles on the Xbox 360.
Since then, the company's been modifying the PlayStation product line to better fit the competitive market landscape. As of August 2008, a new "bargain" PS3 is available with a larger, 80GB hard drive, and a "deluxe" model is due in November, doubling the capacity to 160GB.
Both, however, lack backward compatibility with PS2 games and do not come with flash card readers. If those features are a must, it might be best to pick up the 80GB "Metal Gear" bundle version on eBay w... More »
Here's a new one... rumor has it Datel, longtime developer and manufacturer of videogame enhancement products, has beat conventional PSP hackers in unlocking the PSP 3000 console.
To quote: The breakthrough was made by Datel, thanks to their newest tool battery that will put the PSP 3K into service mode. Okay, what does this exactly do? According to their post, service mode allows you to downgrade your PSP for you to do whatever you may want to do with it, basically.
So. Here's the deal. In order for you to enable the service mode on your PSP 2K and 3K models, you'll need Datel's new crypto processor based battery called the Lite Blue Tool battery.
It comes with toggle options between a service mode and normal mode, as well as a built in LED power gauge feature! Datel's Lite Blue Tool comes to your nearest store on November 28th for a mere US$ 19.99 (UK) and US$ 29.99 (NA).
Rumor has it that Windows 7 will drop in the middle of next year, but last month Microsoft released a "preview" tester build of Windows 7. After living in the Windows 7 Preview for a week now, several features and niceties jumped out at me which promise to make Windows a better place to work come 2009.
Here are just a few of the things to look forward to in Windows 7.
10. Ding-dong, the Sidebar is dead.
One of the first things I hunted down and killed in Windows Vista was the Sidebar, which loaded by default and docked Vista's Gadgets to the right side of your desktop. In Windows 7, the sidebar is no more, and gadgets, should you want them, can roam free across the desktop. This time around, the gadgets feel less distracting to me—the CPU meter and calendar gadgets are my favourites, though this screenshot shows many more.
9. Calculator, WordPad, and Paint got overhauled.
It sucks that Windows 7 is stripping the built-... More »
Many users live with boot problems or re-install Windows and start again, but there is a better way. If you learn what happens during the boot process then you'll be able to diagnose and fix any issues that might arise.
The BIOS
The boot starts with your PC's BIOS, which grabs its settings from CMOS RAM before initialising your video adaptor and any expansion cards. A Power On Self Test does basic hardware checks, tests your RAM if required and usually delivers a single beep to indicate that everything is working.
If there's a problem at this point then the BIOS will display an error message or issue a number of beeps; check your motherboard manual to figure out what they might mean. If it's accessible, launch your BIOS setup program to confirm that no settings have been changed. If they have, this could mean that your motherboard's CMOS battery has failed, in which case you'll need a replacement.
Sony have issued an Official PS3 (v2.50) / PSP (v5.00) software update press release today. It reveals that the PSP-2000’s video-out feature will be able to display PlayStation format software (classics titles) at the full-screen size of the TV that the PSP is connected to (the feature will also support interlace displays). Both system software updates will be released on October 15, 2008.
Press Release: London, October 14, 2008 – Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) today announced details of the next PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) and PSP®(PlayStation®Portable) system software updates, adding new features to both platforms to benefit consumers.
The PS3 firmware update (v. 2.50) will include the implementation of advanced voice chat features for the PS3 official wireless headset, the ability to capture screenshots in-game with supporting titles in the future, and Trophy enhancements, among other new features. The PSP firmware update (v. 5.00) will add di... More »
From Eric Lempel (Director, PlayStation Network Operations):
Hi everyone. We’ve been listening to all of your feedback about the PS3 and PSP, and with these next firmware updates (coming soon), we’ve added a number of new features and improved some existing functionality to make your PS3/PSP experience even better.
PSP (v5.00) update
Let’s start with the v5.00 update for PSP. In this version, you’ll notice the addition of the PlayStation Network icon on the XMB. You can now sign up for PlayStation Network, manage your account and access PlayStation Store directly from your PSP - meaning you can download games directly to your PSP while connected via Wi-Fi. Getting games, demos and trailers while on-the-go has never been easier! Check out the screen below.
The current PlayStation Store on the PC will be down in the interim as we take some time to revamp. Don’t worry, it will re-launch soon after we’ve made som... More »
Spare a thought for AMD and NVIDIA. They have been happily smacking each other upside the head for a decade. But at least they have been doing so safe in the knowledge that their GPUs are distinct from – and inherently superior in graphics processing terms – to CPUs.
At least, that used to be the case. Intel has now unveiled Larrabee, a co-processor based on an entirely new approach to graphics processing. If Intel has done its sums correctly, not only will the very definition of the GPU be unceremoniously defenestrated, but also AMD and NVIDIA's graphics chips could even be pummelled to the very brink of existence.
If that sounds like hubris, try this for size. Larrabee could also tear up the rulebook for CPUs, too. That's right, a single new architecture might just take over as ultimate all-round processor, eventually cannibalising sales of Intel's own conventional CPUs.
What exactly is this deathly destroyer, this harbinger of doom made ma... More »
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