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Sony May Complete RSS Support For PSP

Posted by Zonk on from the getting-what-you-want dept.

Taro Taka writes "A Sony spokeswoman has actually admitted they will stop crippling the PSP's RSS functionality if enough customers ask for it." From the article: "SCEI will consider adding compatibility for RSS text feeds should users request it, said Nanako Kato, a spokeswoman for SCEI in Tokyo. The support for podcasts allows users to stream audio content to the PSP. The system supports feeds compatible with RSS 2.0 and encoded in the MP3 or AAC (MPEG4) formats. The firmware update also added support for Windows Media Audio files, direct download of copy-protected content through the PSP's Web browser, and Chinese-language character encoding." We just mentioned the rollout of the limited RSS functionality they already support.

31 comments

  1. And people say... by Sinryc · · Score: 3, Interesting

    And people say Sony hates its consumers. :-) Not all of Sony is bad.

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    1. Re:And people say... by Bellum+Aeternus · · Score: 1

      Yeah - the $, the 0, and the N are evil, but that Y is kinda nice.

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      - I voted for Nintendo and against Bush
  2. I don't have a psp but.. by BkBen7 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Wouldn't it be better just to keep the old firmware and get a homebrew rss reader?

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    1. Re:I don't have a psp but.. by Jeff+DeMaagd · · Score: 2, Interesting

      It may be too late for current owners, but I'd say this is another reason to not buy Sony consumer electronics in the first place. That said, PSP is primarily a game device and secondarily a media device. Any use outside of that is not a major priority in the design and should probably be considered a bonus.

  3. Two words... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Bout time.

  4. Way to read the title... by MMaestro · · Score: 2, Funny
    From the article : Sony will consider text RSS

    Great... basicly they'll go from 'consider' to 'actually implement' if we sell our souls to them. I'll be over here playing my DS.

    1. Re:Way to read the title... by November+1,+2005 · · Score: 2, Interesting
      How exactly do I sell my soul to Sony in exchange for full-fledged RSS support? I understand that you love Nintendo and hate Sony and simply have to get that opinion out there but it would be nice if you at least made some sense. Basically the article states that if Sony sees demand for the feature, they'll add it. That seems pretty reasonable to me. I know that I would appreciate that. I'm just trying to understand your line of thought. Have you used the PSP? (I know that I have yet to find a retail outlet where they had a demo model.) The DS is quite a different system and I find that my PSP fills a different need than my DS.

      So, in conclusion, explain to me where soul-selling is mentioned in the article.

    2. Re:Way to read the title... by Skyfire · · Score: 1

      Best Buy is finally starting to get demo PSPs at least around here (Atlanta). I'm not sure why no one has had them yet. Its been very annoying to just buy games without at least trying them for a couple of minutes.

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    3. Re:Way to read the title... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      yeah...because the DS implementation of RSS is so complete.

  5. Please Suh Can I have some more... by Blue_Nile · · Score: 1

    So basically we have to beg for features now?

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    1. Re:Please Suh Can I have some more... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Funny - people begged for online support for the Gamecube for how long? At least Sony says they'll respond to people. Nintendo does what Nintendo wants.

    2. Re:Please Suh Can I have some more... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      GameCube had online support since day one. I have a broadband adapter on mine and owned an online game (Phantasy Star Online). Nintendo didn't want to make their own games playable online, but that wasn't stopping a single third party developer from using it.

  6. Fuck Sony by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What's next? We have to beg and plead for them not to DRM our systems and make holes for virus writers to exploit? I'll never purchase another Sony product.

    1. Re:Fuck Sony by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      20 bucks says you typed that statement on Windows. Way to choose your battles...

  7. Just curious by the_humeister · · Score: 1

    How many of you PSP owners actually use your PSP to access the internet? I know there's a webbrowser, but I would imagine it to be cumbersome to use.

    1. Re:Just curious by elhedran · · Score: 1

      I do more browsing on the internet with it than playing games some weeks. TV is downstairs, computer upstairs... and I just want to check this one site I saw on the TV.

      That, and checking the TV guide. Its actually a very nice (if slow) browser. Makes for a very portable way to do X plus reference the web. It has up to three 'tabs', and renders pages pretty well. Only real flaw is popups, it doesn't do them at all so some sites just can't be accessed. Also you can't download a file and browse it offline (e.g. ebook style).

    2. Re:Just curious by fistfullast33l · · Score: 1

      I dont use it regularly over my laptop, but sometimes it's quicker to switch on the PSP then sit there and wait for linux to boot up. It can be a bit cumbersome if you're going to be checking email and whatnot, but for just plain reference or time-killing, it's not too bad of a distraction. Of course, I don't think it's meant to be a full-on solution anyways. As for the podcasts, I don't even have an iPod so I've never actually gotten into the whole podcast movement. Wouldn't even know where to start if I did have 2.6.

    3. Re:Just curious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      fuck shitcasts
      they are called MP3s

      just because i am delivered news headlines via rss doesnt make them "podlines" or any other fucked fagassed shit. radioshow format mp3s that i am notified of via rss are still just mp3s/ they are not "casted" anywhere, and there is no pod involved

    4. Re:Just curious by robotoil · · Score: 1

      I use the internet on it when I'm travelling.

    5. Re:Just curious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I agree with all of this too, and I'm sure there are TONS of others that do as well. Go ahead and mod me troll now. BURN KARMA, BURN!!!

  8. oops, I miss typed.. by Fluffy_Kitten · · Score: 0

    Should have read:
    Sony May Complete Rootkit Support For PSP

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  9. Cool! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    NOW MAKE SOME FUCKING GAMES FOR IT!

    If you need me, I'll be over there playing Trauma Center.

  10. You'll know when they release it... by Kris_J · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...by all the graffiti advertising it on a wall near you.

  11. RTFA by MMaestro · · Score: 4, Insightful
    if enough gamers ask for the feature, Big S will add text capabilities to the existing streaming audio enclosure functionality. Way to go Sony, but why the heck not just do it anyway?

    Lets see:

    1. They'll add text capabilities for the audio enclosure. This is not 'full-fledged RSS support'.
    2. Why now? Why wait until hackers cracked their firmware in no less than 3 major instances AND after their huge DRM fiasco. This just says 'we need to rebuild our street cred.'
    3. Fans had to 'beg' for Sony to CONSIDER allowing limited RSS support. Last time I checked, I didn't have to 'beg' Ford for permission to install a new sound system into my car.

    This is just Sony throwing one life preserver to a thousands of drowning people. Limited support is crap and everyone knows it, after the DRM fiasco no one is gonna trust a Sony audio related product and be honest here. Only the most hardcore fans 'begs' a company for anything. You have to sink pretty low to cause someone to use that kind of language.

    1. Re:RTFA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Never answered the question; there's no selling of the soul involved. Sony wants to know if there's a market for the work. They never said you had to beg for it. And furthermore since you're obviously an idiot who doesn't even own a PSP, your soul is safe. So shut up.

  12. I'm only half j by MilenCent · · Score: 1

    A Sony spokeswoman has actually admitted they will stop crippling the PSP's RSS functionality if enough customers ask for it.

    We ask for it. Then...

    A Sony spokesperson admits they will use a better interface for their RSS reader if enough customers ask for it.

    So we ask for that. But users notice something strange. And then...

    A Sony spokesbot admits they will stop auto-deleting feeds that contain foul language if enough customers ask for it. "In independent polls conducted on Slashdot, we found most users considered the word 'Microsoft' to be foul. We heartily agree, but we'll put it back if enough customers ask for it. Bleep, grhzznt."

    So that gets asked for. And then....

    A Sony spokesdemon chuckled manically when he admitted, "Yeah, we'll put support for vowels back into our RSS reader if enough customers ask... BY GIVING US THEIR SOULS! MWA-HA-HA-HA!!"

    Meanwhile, with each new updated firmware, they close more of those precious security holes that prevent users from running cool, clever, business-model-destroying homebrew software on the devices they paid for. Very interesting, don't you think?

  13. Emulator Games by superpulpsicle · · Score: 1

    Does anyone know of the status of emulator games on PSP? I have heard that emulator games were somewhat blocked at one point by a firmware.

  14. Hey, I got a request for you by British · · Score: 1

    Hey Sony, instead of trying to hop on trendy bandwagons such as RSS for a video game system, allow homebrews again. No, seriously. Why would you turn it off? Why are you trying to implement RSS for a video game console, when you have much bigger fish to try? To me it just seems pointless, like trying to get your bicycle to compile C code. Sony could sell rinky-dink games that you can stuff on your duo card for 99 cents a pop, just like the cell phone companies do(just no subscriptions).

    Instead no, they lock out homebrew altogether with more and more and more revisions of their firmware. The codecs on 2.0 required prevent me from playing GTA since I'm happy with 1.50 + TG16 emulator.

    All rootkits aside, Sony is really botching things with the PSP, and now I'm starting to wonder what else I could have done with my $250($200 used 1.5 PSP + a ridiculous 50 for a game). Like, I dunno, buy a DS or GBA and scarfed up a bunch of cheap games and have money left over.

    Now I wonder if I should even bother saving up for a PS3 with all of Sony and its subsidary's oh-so-wonderful decisions. Trying to get homebrew games(doom never worked for me) and such is starting to become not worth the hassle.

  15. homebrew rss by steelmaverick · · Score: 1

    I'm pretty sure that a psp dev is gonna release a homebrew RSS Reader, thats better than the sony one.

    HOMEBREW 4EVER!!!!

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    1. Re:homebrew rss by tacolicker · · Score: 0

      u r t3h 1337 y0! $0nY bl0w$!