Geek In Me

by Andrew Yoon via ps3fanboy.com

CVG has learned from a shadowy “development source” that the next major PS3 firmware update, possibly 2.5, may include the ability to capture screenshots directly from the PS3. “Exactly how this would be done and what you could do with the shots once you’ve grabbed a piece of the action isn’t yet known.”

The PS3 already has the ability to save images from games to the hard drive, but they must be specifically programmed into each game. For example, players can save low-res images from Metal Gear Solid 4’s camera. They can also save images from replay videos in WipEout HD. Having the ability to take screengrabs whenever will let us immortalize our most cherished gaming moments … and will certainly make our jobs easier.





by Ludwig Kietzmann via joystiq.com

With game installations, downloadable content and digitally distributed titles cluttering up our PlayStation 3’s brain, it comes as little surprise to see Sony announcing yet another SKU with increased storage capacity. The word from its 2008 Games Convention press conference is that a 160 gigglebyte model — which is otherwise identical to others units — will be hitting Europe on October 31st, complete with €70 worth of downloadable game content. But is the €449 price tag a trick or a treat?





by Andrew Yoon via pspfanboy.com

Take this following story as a lesson on why you should be an educated shopper and do research before you head into a store. A 41 year old Singaporean woman went shopping for a new PSP at a Lucky Plaza shop. She met a courteous and helpful assistant who directed her to a Black PSP system. There are so many capabilities of the PSP, but he explained that with a “software upgrade,” it can do much more, such as surf the Internet and play games for free. Fifteen minutes later, the clerk came back with a massive bill: $3500.

“Nicole,” the unfortunate victim in this scam, refused to buy a system that cost as much as a laptop. However, the clerk said that they had already paid for the “costly” licenses. She asked why other shops only charged a few hundred dollars for the system ($300 according to the original article) and the clerk claimed the licenses “were not original.”

After some haggling, she was able to get the cost down to $2600. Later, her brother informed her that she had essentially been robbed. She went back to the store and demanded a refund — but she agreed to pay $1000. When complaining to the Consumers Association of Singapore, she was denied any further help because she had already agreed to pay the store.

by Donald Melanson via engadget.com

We already knew that Id Software co-founder John Carmack was on board with the iPhone to some extent, but at the now-happening QuakeCon 2008 in Dallas he’s revealed just how impressed with the device he really is. According to Apple Insider, while Carmack admits that graphics memory could be a limiting factor, he describes the phone’s hardware as equivalent to a Dreamcast and almost on par with a PlayStation 2 and the original Xbox. He also sees it as far superior, at least in terms of raw specs, than the two big dedicated handheld consoles out there, saying that is “more powerful than a Nintendo DS and PSP combined.” Unfortunately, he didn’t have any actual games to show off, but he did at least confirm that Id has two “tentative titles” in the works, including a “conventional mobile game,” and one that pushes the iPhone’s graphics capabilities.

by Donald Melanson via engadget.com

There may not have been any word of a new PSP out of E3 as some had suspected, but it looks Sony may have a bit of a late surprise for us, at least if these tantalizing pics from PSPChina are to be believed. Apparently, this new PSP-3000 model remains mostly unchanged from the current PSP-2000, with the notable addition of a built-in microphone and a somewhat less notable PlayStation button in place of the usual Home button. As you can see in the picture after the break, the signature steel ring on the back of the PSP also appears to have been trimmed a bit (there’s a pic of the inside of the case as well, for the curious). Not exactly the DS Lite sort of upgrade that’d make everyone ditch their old PSPs to be sure but, as we’ve seen with the PSP-2000, it would be about par for the course for Sony.

via ps3fanboy.com

The new look PSN Store is definitely something to behold, even if we’ve mostly gotten used to what it looks like by now. Unfortunately, it suffered from not caching images properly and, as a result, slow loading of items on the store. If you’re someone who’s particularly annoyed by this, then you’ll be happy to hear that firmware 2.40 seems to have brought with it a little surprise which makes the store run a lot smoother. This is true of both the US and the EU stores.

Not only that, but a new “view mode” has been added to both, so now you can have the store items laid out in more of a list form, rather than just an image. Not only does this make it easier to see what each item is at a glance, but it also shows the price, even if the item is not highlighted. This is definitely our preferred method of viewing the store. If we find any more 2.40 surprises, we’ll be sure to let you know.