108w ago - MultiMAN version 01.17.01 update is now released and can be updated within the PS3 homebrew application itself or from the download links below.

Download: multiMAN v01.17.01 Update PKG (6.54 MB) / multiMAN v01.17.01 Update (13.09 MB)

multiMAN v01.17.01 changelog:

• Interface update
  
• Simplified and cleaner look
  
• Slick and professional feel
  
• Link XMB VIDEO files to Showtime option in "System Menu"
  
• Launch Showtime option in "System Menu"
  
• Game options: press SQUARE
  
• System menu: press TRIANGLE
  
• Updated version of SHOWTIME MEDIA PLAYER (codepages Windows-1250 and 1251)
  
• "Favorites" menu in next version
  
• Themes must be updated to reflect latest changes
  
• More options added in COLOR.INI for theme creators
  
• user_font added in COLOR.INI for theme creators
  
• game_bg_overlay added in COLOR.INI
  
• "Cover not available" cover in some display modes
  
• "[O] Save" in submenu changed to "[O] Back"
  
• Updated the "Original theme" to reflect the recent changes
  

This is for the update: Simple and more user-friendly interface, better look and easier to use.

204w ago - Recently SKFU shared some details on a PC / PS3 Messenger project in development, and over the weekend he has also theorized on some other untapped potential via the PS3's XMB (Cross Media Bar) interface.

To quote: The XMB is a nice core for a lot of features but why are they not unlocked yet? To mention a few examples:

Selfmade Widgets
The PS3 uses a widget engine based on open source for the information board. So why not give us the ability to load our own homebrew widget's from external mediums or install them like themes? As they mostly use XML and flash files it wouldn't even compromise PS3's security.

Music Visualizations
The PSP has a lot of them, the PS3 only three. Next-Gen multimedia entertainment? Not really, yet.

Universal Messenger
The PSP can use Skype, why not the PS3? The PS3's messaging system is based on Jabber. It would be very simple to allow the PS3 to communicate with iCQ, Google Talk and other instant messenger protocols.

Open File Transfer
Why can we only send pictures with size limitation via the PSN while we would more like to send music files or savegames. If that uses to much ressources like traffic,...

220w ago - The official Need for Speed blog (linked above) has been updated with a work-in-progress image of the user interface in Electronic Arts' upcoming action-racing game, Need for Speed World Online. To quote:

When he'd sent the screen I asked him to give me a bit more information about what we're looking at and he was happy to help out:

"Key to the concept of NFS World Online is the user interface which has been built from the ground up to take advantage of the PC architecture. Instead of a traditional console view of a game, we're using a user-selectable gadget interface designed specifically for the PC.

The system allows the gamer to choose which components of the interface they want to add to their game. The gadgets are really flexible and offer a wide range of display options: docked/undocked, floating in the game window or just sitting outside of the game space.

A lot of gamers now have more than one monitor so you could keep the game window entirely clean and then have all the gadgets sit in the other monitor. We think it's about time PC gamers had games that allowed them to arrange their information their way."

The downloadable free-to-play title is being co-developed by EA Black Box and EA Singapore. You can find out more about the MMORG in this Q&A...

229w ago - A quick interview with a rep from SCEA clarifies a few things about PlayStation Home. It won't change your life at Home, but it's a good read if you want to satisfy your curiosity.

Early on, Sony presented the virtual PSP as the navigation interface for PlayStation Home, but last month though, they revealed that this was no longer the case. SCEA explains:

We felt that PlayStation Home deserved its own navigation device, so we built a user interface that was dedicated to just that purpose. We have found the new user interface to generally be more intuitive for many of our users.

SCEA also clarified a few things about Clubhouses, in case you didn't already know about how it works:

A PlayStation Home user can be a member of up to five clubs (meaning they can be leaders or members of five clubs).

Every club has one leader (the owner who purchased the club [this costs $4.99]), up to four sub-leaders and up to 32 members.

In functionality, they work similarly to other personal spaces such as your apartment with some additional features such as a bulletin board where the leader, and optionally the sub-leaders, can leave messages for the whole club to read, such as tournament announcements or meeting times.

As with many aspects of PlayStation Home,...

235w ago - With all the attention being paid to the vaunted New Xbox Experience interface that will launch later this month for the Xbox 360, Microsoft quietly updated the Games for Windows - Live client today.

The update doesn't introduce any new functionality, that is planned later on with the release of a desktop client as well as the Games for Windows - Live Marketplace. However, the update does give the GFW - Live client a whole new look that's better suited for PCs.

The previous GFW - Live client didn't make much use of the bigger displays and higher resolutions that many PCs sport. It focused much of the interface in narrow boxes centered in the middle of the screen. The new client stretches across the top of the screen, and it presents more information much more cleanly than before.

Also gone are the Xbox 360 "jelly bean" buttons, the big colored buttons that referred to the buttons on the Xbox 360 controller. Those will appear if you plug an Xbox 360 controller into your PC, but if you don't have one plugged in, the interface defaults to a PC-centric look.

All the existing functionality remains. You can check your friends list to see what your buddies are playing and invite them to games or join one of their games; send message and voice messages, invite others to a private chat,...