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 »
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.
Update: A brief guide and F.A.Q. are available HERE and NDT posted a more detailed walkthrough.
Guys,
I need a little help from the community, if possible i'd like to have from all of you uploaded somewhere (example: rapidshare) the first 2048KB of the HDD partition. Specifically i need a test conducted this way:
Power up the ps3, go to the formatting utility, and format the ps3 HDD with the option of 10GB for the ps3 system.
Power off the ps3, remove the hard disk, attach it to the PC and dump the first 2048KB.
Compress the 2048 with the program you actually prefer (rar, zip whatever) and upload and post a link here.
For the dumping part winhex (for windows) or dd (unix and windows), if any problem or question rise, feel free to contact me or other devs, thanks a... More »
Per Daimion Pinnock (Producer, SCEA) today via PS Blog:
By now you’ve probably come across some great previews for wipEout HD, the upcoming anti-gravity racing title on PSN. Between the 1080p racing at 60 frames per second, the awesome trophy support, motion steering via SIXAXIS, online racing and A LOT more, the excitement level is understandably high. Well, we have some more wipEout HD goodness to share today in the form of an OFFICIAL RELEASE DATE.
Drumroll, please!
Your wipEout HD thirst will be quenched on September 25. Yes, that’s right, just 10 days from today. For just $19.99, wipEout HD will be available for download only and includes the following awesomeness:
• Full HD Visuals
• 5 Game Modes - Single Race, Tournament, Time Trial, Speed Lap and Zone Mode
• Online play that supports up to 8 racers competing on a track at a time
• 2-player split screen (horizontally and vertically) of... More »
If you're still having trouble tracking down Samsung's SpinPoint M6 to boost your PS3 HDD storage space, Western Digital is now shipping a PS3-compatable 500GB 2.5-Inch drive ($220), with a whopping 1TB drive expected by 2010.
To quote: WD has just announced that it has started volume shipping its 500GB 2.5-inch Scorpio Blue drive, a notebook drive with 250GB per platter and a 5,400rpm spin speed. Seagate expects to ship its half terabyte 2.5-incher before the end of the year.
Our sources say WD and Fujitsu will have 750GB 2.5-inch drives by mid-2009 and 1 terabyte units by early 2010, if not the end of 2009. WD is building quite a track record of pipping Seagate by introducing notebook drives at progressively higher capacity points first, doing t... More »
The PS3 version of BioShock has a 5GB mandatory install that takes a little over 10 minutes to complete.
While the game’s trundling onto your hard drive, your TV shows your Rapture ads and plays a little piano music.
The game was rumored to have a sizable install after the BBFC rated the game back in July, but 2K commented at the time that it was likely to have an install of “around 5 or 6 minutes” at most, according to this DarkZero report.
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