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PSP Hacks and the Mainstream
pasm writes "The BBC is running article about how "DIY software and hardware experts have been quick to embrace Sony's PlayStation Portable console." Today I have witnessed some colleagues playing a wireless racing game with imported ones in the office. It seems that this will be the gadget of the year for both gamers and programmers with a neat idea and time on their hands."
I don't they ever will, since many people are too afraid that they will break them. I know some computer savvy people who are, even after having built several computers.
I know that there are a bunch of handheld devices available that can scan for wifi networks, but they cost ~$40 for a reasonable model that can detect network security settings. Has anyone heard of using a PSP for this task?
Due to financial difficulties, the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off.
...if the PSP was even more open. They could open up development, allowing downloads to memory stick permitting 3rd party games to be developed (think Palm) . I think this constant tendency of Sony shoving down our throats things like Memory Stick and ATRAC have really hurt them, instead of enhancing their bottom line like they think it would.
Before you say that allowing anyone to develop for the platform would hurt sales, I say to you that people still buy commercial games in droves.
So is Sony going to release a programming SDK to the general public? And which programming languages are supported?
If Sony wants to make a deep impact against Nintendo, they should open up the PSP as wide as possible to "non-traditional" programmers. Especially considering how much the ding-dang-thing cost.
Looks like Wired almost copied this article here: http://www.wired.com/news/games/0,2101,67151,00.ht ml?tw=wn_tophead_8
Enjoy an e-piphany
When it came down to the choice between getting a DS or a PSP now, the choice became the PSP. Granted, I'll get a DS later for other games that I'm interested in and the rumored Palm Pilot module - but it was the usefulness of the PSP *now* that interested me.
I've been using it to watch movies on planes and trains, which is more convienient than even watching it on my 12" powerbook. But I can see where more can be done.
With 512 MB RAM, there's plenty of space for both my saved games, little videos (2 hours of video is about 300 MB or so), and other apps. Where's a *real* web browser that could be hacked from Mozilla, or a mail reader program so I can check up on the go?
Evidently, you can have "games" that run off the memory stick directly (or so it tells me when I'm in the Game menu section an it looks at either the disk or the memory stick), so why not just make those applications?
I know, I could get a blackberry for some specific tags, but if Sony *really* wants the PSP to take off, they should release some sort of light development kit (either free or say $50). Let developers see what a portible wi-fi system with a good screen can run. Could Skype run on it? Maybe, maybe not - but let developers give it a shot.
With a large developer market that's not constrained with having to worry about having a large development start up (like those for the official PSP games), the PSP could become a choice machine for all sorts of things, which would drive attachment sales and, via a sort of "halo" effect, to PSP games. It would be a win-win for everyone.
But - Sony probably won't do it. Fear evidently keeps the managers in line - fear of this station. In this case, it's this gigantic Death Star circling around called "loss of control". Of all the things Sony fears, it's that Loss of Control. After all, if *they* can't control which applications get made for the system, what if someone makes money on Sony's device without Sony getting a cut. What if someone comes out with an iTunes client that can play protected AAC files and potentially take away money from Sony's ATRAC based store? What if monkeys come flying out of the asses of developers that Sony can't make money on! The horror!
Sony *could* make the PSP the device of choice that way. Right now, I like the basic hacks that have come out for it, but if the DS gets that Palm Pilot add-on (with extensible memory via a MMC chip or something), then it might swing me to the dual screened little player, since there are a lot of Palm apps out there I could potentially run (like my eBook reader) and a video client could probably run on the DS pretty well. It wouldn't look as good as on my DS, but if it's "good enough" for my train to/from work needs, then it will be an easy buy.
Sony has a chance here to break out. But I'm going to bet they won't take it because of their own fear.
Of course, this is just my opinion. I could be wrong.
52 Weeks, 52 Religions with John Hummel
Other "hacks" include ... playing multiplayer games with only one copy of the game.
That hack involves creating the WiFi game (I've done this with Tony Hawk) on one PSP, moving the UMD into another PSP, having that other person join that WiFi game, switching the UMD back to the original PSP as the original player starts the session (it asks you if you want to quit when you take out the UMD) and then the second player starts the session. It's not as good of a trick as the DS's single game/ multiplayer setup, but it gets the job done if you want to spend the time.
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Want a free Nintendo DS, GC, PS2, Xbox. (you only need 4 referrals)
Wired article as proof
First, the reputation of a console can be seriously tarnished if it has a market glut of crappy games.
Has the glut of Win32 compatible games tarnished the reputation of the console called "PC running Windows XP"?
Sony makes a boatload of money off their developers right now
Even if I could start a development house, Sony still wouldn't sell me a license and a development kit. In general, console makers don't even want to talk to startups.
The Gamepark 32 is already a fantastic little portable gaming device and you don't have to worry about unauthorized uses of SDKs and whatnot -it's all open!
Viewing media on a Memory Stick isn't worth $250 to anyone with half a brain...
I must have something more or less than half a brain, then, because I enjoyed watching a rip of my "Todd McFarlane's Spawn" DVD on a 2 1/2 hour airline flight last night, which when converted to Memory Stick video format at 15 fps is totally watchable and squeezes onto a 512Mb stick with about 18Mb to spare.
I need a 1Gb stick to store "The Matrix" or "Blade Runner" which come in at 527Mb and 489Mb, respectively. The biggest downside to movies on the PSP memory stick is the time it takes to rip and transcode. It's not a grab-and-go proposition, you have to plan ahead. But eventually I will have a library of PSP videos, and no doubt there will be torrents available soon, too.
So. Explain to me how this idea is a good thing for Sony?
It makes the Nintendo DS ("Do Something!") seem like a cheap toy in comparison.
For the same reason it was a good thing for Microsoft/Intel.
Edith Keeler Must Die
This press and the hacks are great for the future of handheld gaming, but I wish the Nintendo DS was getting this play, too. Web browsing on the PSP is cool, but how much cooler would the hacks be if you could use the DS's touch screen for keyboard emulation? How are you supposed to IRC with 6 buttons and a joystick?
...is someone figure out how to replicate Namco Museum's multiplayer functionality, and use it to run apps designed for the PSP over your wifi.
:P Armored Core Formula Front is crack... :o Need...play...online... *runs off to play the PS2 version*
Namco Museum, which has such classics as Pac Man on it, can be played multiplayer, with just one UMD, because it beams the software over to another unit via the wifi connection. Like the GBA games that you can play multiplayer with just one cartridge. (And infact, in the GBA's case, people did reverse engineer that functionality to load games and software into memory over the link cable.) It'd be cool to see neat utility software being loaded into the PSP, like advanced media players and stuff.
As it is, I'm in the process of assessing just how little food I need to survive, in an effort to save for a PSP
Friend: "The NIC is misconfigured..." Me: "No prob, I'll just telnet in and fix it." *Silence*
Hacks gone Mainstream?
They haven't, but what interests me is that Sony is in a unique position to make hacks (or independent development) go mainstream and capitalize on it to become the market leader in this area, or if it doesn't work out, just write it off as a failed experiment.
After all, they've produced hundreds of thousands of different consumer devices, many of which have undersold their projected targets and hence are failed products in a business sense, and this mega giant just goes from there on to the next idea. Pocket change.
Like many have said, Sony is probably paralized from creating an open device by business dogma that would make it akin to consorting with the devil. However, at some level it definitely sees open source in a favourable light of some kind otherwise it wouldn't have released those Linuxes for some of its consoles.
Maybe there is hope in this direction yet. I certainly don't see any such hope from the smaller console developers owing to issues of scale and significance of possible losses, nor from Microsoft for obvious reasons, but Sony just might be able to pull this one off, if it ever wanted to.
"The question of whether machines can think is no more interesting than [] whether submarines can swim" - Dijkstra
I am just in the beginning stages and am trying to gain an audience, if you come come maybe post something in the forums it would be great. Also I am looking for help with it, so if you are intrested check the site and email me if you are still intrested. http://www.winbeforeyouplay.com, if you wanna help winpsp@gmail.com
He said he wanted a good controller.
It depends on what you mean by "good" controller. If you mean a requirement of analog control, the EMS USB2 can also handle a Dual Shock. If you mean console fanboyism, there exist USB adapters for N64, GameCube, and Xbox controllers as well.