173w ago - I just started to take a look at Folding@Home / Life with PlayStation as part of my PS3 research. There are several little details which are pretty interesting...

One thing which got me interested, is that the "game" has more permissions than any other game or application. Normal games do not have access to the root of /dev_hdd0/ but F@H has.

It can read, write and execute which was found out as it creates a folder called /cntlnk/ in /dev_hdd0/.

There it caches several music files you play while running the application. This is handled via a SQL Lite Format 3 DB (db1.1.sqlite) in /NPIA00002/USRDIR/data/wlop/.

Another thing is, that F@H/LWP can override the PARAM.SFO. Normally the option window when u press triangle in XMB on a game just reads the data, PARAM.SFO passes to it.

But here, the automatic start option is not loaded via the .sfo. It seems it comes from an external XML file in the game directory.

The last I want to write about now is, that older F@H versions were able to control the SPU's partly. For example it was possible to define how many SPU's are used at all.

These are just some points that came up so far. I will keep you updated when there is more!

-SKFU

179w ago - Today TheSixthAxis.com (linked above) is reporting that Sony has updated Life With PlayStation for PS3 to Version 1.2.

According to the changelog on their official site, here is what's new in this update:

• Added support for video playback.
• Added support for photo slideshows.
• Exclusive content for PlayStation 3 System owners in the US: PlayStation Network Game Trailers Channel is now available.

With the PlayStation Network Game Trailers Channel, you can quickly and easily check out the latest video trailers for game content available on PlayStation Store.

You can read additional information about each title, and even purchase the games directly from PlayStation Store without ever leaving Life with PlayStation.

For a more TV like experience, allow auto playback mode to kick in and trailers will be streamed automatically.

*PlayStation Network Game Trailers Channel is exclusive for PlayStation 3 System owners in the US.

Note: Videos are now available in the United Village channel with this update.

197w ago - Today Sony has updated Life with PlayStation by adding a completely new channel titled 'World Heritage' to it.

It's a simple update, as the channel includes information from various Web sites (including Wikipedia) from multiple areas around the world.

To quote: If you leave your controller for a long enough time, it automatically begins spinning the globe (like the other channels) and displays hi-res pictures from the areas you're hovering above about.

If you would like to see a picture from a designated area, then you can hover the country, hit 'X' and then press the 'start' button.

An overall nice addition to the free application, allowing many Life with PlayStation fans to do even more while helping the common good.

210w ago - Today caliblue15 has posted (linked above) that Life with PlayStation Update 1.1 is now available, along with details as follows:

Just turned on my Life with PlayStation, and look what I found, Update 1.1.

Life with PlayStation Update 1.1 Changes:

• Added support for adding and removing channels dynamically
• Added a local time display in the LIVE CHANNEL.
• Updated Mood categories for auomatic music selection.
• Added support to enable Folding@Home Expert Mode which disables all other channels and features that may impact simulation performance.
• Folding@home Expert Mode can be activated by navigating to:
Options Menu > [Configuration] > [Folding@home].
• Expert Mode - Folding@home™ is the only channel enabled. All application processing power is used exclusively for Folding@home™ and no other channels can be browsed. Note: While in this mode, channel updates are also disabled.
• New Channel - United Village - United Village is a project designed to provide an experience of sharing a sense of community and culture from locations around the world. With each update, we will feature a visual series of moments and aspects of life from various locations. The United Village channel is provided by Frontier International, Inc.

244w ago - As a follow-up to the initial announcement HERE, this is what Sr. Development Manager at SCEA R&D Noam Rimon has to add:

If you've ever wished you could find everything you need to start your day on your PLAYSTATION 3, Life with PlayStation give you one more reason to do so.

This free service delivers a new way for you to utilize your PS3 to instantly access real-time news and information like weather updates from over 60 cities around the world.

I've also put together a quick video demo to make sure you're checking out all the new features below:





Life with PlayStation provides a stunning interactive globe, a 3D world map that you can twirl around to see live cloud movement courtesy of the University of Wisconsin, combined with up-to-date weather information from the Weather Channel, top news headlines provided by Google news, and live web cam images via the Earth Television Network -- all localized to the select city.

And why not have your favorite soundtrack playing in the background while you go through...