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January 8th, 2008, 07:03 Posted By: bandit
The concept of copying a lower-resolution version of a film from a packaged media disc to a portable device is not new--in fact, late last year, Fox and Warner released the first standard definition titles to offer this capability (on Live Free, Die Hard and Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix, respectively).
Sony today demonstrated the next level of disc copying. At the company's booth at CES, Sony demonstrated how you could put a Blu-ray Disc movie into a Playstation 3 and copy the film to a Playstation Portable or a Memory Stick. "This way, you can have a portable copy you can take with you," explains David Bishop, president of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
"There was always the promise of greater interactivity. You'll see that coming in the new year," Bishop added. In addition to the PSP copying example, Sony also demonstrated how you could download ring tones and new content to a BD Live player, using Men in Black as the example.
BD Live is proving to be a big catchphrase at the show: Panasonic announced its BD Live player yesterday, Fox showcased an early version of its Alien vs. Predator multiplayer game at the Blu-ray Disc Association's booth, and Sony showed its interactive Men in Black trivia game. The game was being played by two people in two locations on a Playstation 3.
And the purpose for DRM protection was to prevent piracy. Doesnt this defeat the purpose?
Source: PC World
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January 7th, 2008, 15:38 Posted By: bandit
The official Skype microphone for the PSP will be available in Japan on January 24th for 2500 Yen. The microphone is the same one that is included with Talkman.
Source: Famitsu
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January 7th, 2008, 15:35 Posted By: bandit
Sony has officially revealed plans for Skype on the PSP at Consumer Electronics Show. The peripheral has been readily available in Japan and Europe for quite some time now, but now there is proof that its coming to the US.
The Sony CES website reveals that the peripheral will work with navigation software, provided on UMD. "Your PSP will provide 2D/3D locations, driving directions, POI's, and even downloadable city guides. With an easy search feature and customizable settings, GPS on PSP is the easiest way to navigate new areas and new cities."
No official release date or price has been revealed. Hopefully its soon and affordable.
Source: Sony CES
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January 7th, 2008, 15:29 Posted By: bandit
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) today announced that it would introduce Skype(TM) features to the new slim and light PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable) handheld entertainment system (PSP-2000 series). More than 246 million members are registered for the use of this communications software, which enables users to communicate with other Skype users around the world over the Internet. Calls between Skype users are free of charge.
By introducing Skype on PSP, the following features and services will be made available to PSP users (*1) (*2):
-- Free voice calls between Skype users
-- Skype contact list management (view existing contacts, add new ones)
-- Skype presence (see which friends are online and available to talk)
-- SkypeOut(TM) calls to make calls to landlines and mobile phones anywhere in the world (requires the purchase of Skype credit)
-- Optional SkypeIn(TM) number that lets users receive calls on Skype from landlines and mobiles anywhere in the world (requires the purchase of Skype credit)
-- View and modify Skype settings and account details (including username creation, SkypeOut settings, voicemail settings and call forwarding)
PSP users worldwide will be able to start using Skype features and services through a simple system software update scheduled in late January.
After updating the PSP system software, a Skype icon will be added to the Network category in the home menu. PSP users who do not yet have a Skype username can register by clicking the icon and following the instructions.
PSP users who already have a Skype username can immediately sign in by clicking the Skype icon and entering their username and password.
SCEI will deploy various measures to meet users' demand and vigorously promote the expansion of the PSP platform as a handheld entertainment system to enjoy a variety of interactive digital entertainment.
* For more information on Skype, please visit http://www.skype.com
(*1)To enjoy Skype features on PSP, users will need Memory Stick Duo(TM), a wireless Internet connection and a Skype-compatible audio input device.
(*2)In order to receive calls, users must be connected to the Internet and signed in through the Skype screen on PSP.
Source: PRNewsWire
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January 6th, 2008, 05:36 Posted By: Shadowblind
I'm a dedicated tales fan. Really, I am. In all fairness, I have put that aside for now for this miniview.
Ahem...cough.
Now that thats out of the way, the 2005 addition to the Tales RPG series, Tales of the Abyss, is very much like Tales of Symphonia, from battle system to monsters. Through personal experience, I can safely say that I believe this game to have surpassed Tales of Symphonia, as awesome as it was. Aaaaannnnyway....
In Tales of the Abyss, you are cast in the role of Luke fon Fabre, an heir to the throne of Kimlasca, one of two peaceful nations that exist in this world. Spoiled and arrogant, Luke is soon sent half across the world when trying to guard his master. The attacker, who happens to be his masters sister too gets sent with him. An adventure begins that will not only shape the futures of the two nations, but change the entire future of history itself.
Graphics, for its time anyway, are nothing special. Slowdowns do occur at very rare instances, and for detail its about average for a game of its time. The real highlight to these are how believable the characters became, based on the small feature changes in their faces, and the slight movements of their bodies at the needed time. For its day, this was as close to lifelike as you might've gotten. Still, graphics work, but are nothing special.
Voice acting is great. All the voice actors seem well placed in the game, with the exception of Sync and Ion, all the characters sound fine. Music is as it always has been for a Tales game...good. They even threw in a few hard rocks songs for fight scenes. Who would of though for an RPG, right? No.
Gameplay mixes the best of the Tales genre has to offer, and some new, often useless ideas. For instance, the idea of combining Artes (special powers) with fonons (elemental forces) really makes some attacks really awesome. Sadly, if it doesn't tell you which element you attack is compatible with, how will you know? However, that is only a detail of the battle system. The FRLMS (Flex Range Linear Motion System, I think I got it right...) is the Tales series signature battle system. And like I've said before, its the best system for an RPG I've seen. I have no complaints. Its difficult to explain, but mix a bit of Kingdom Hearts, Phantasy Star Online, and a fighter game, and you've got it.
For the presentation, they really help you to get to know the characters. Although there are mandatory cut-scenes (Like every RPG, obviously) with full voice acting, there are many, many, MANY optional cutscenes that you initiate by pressing "Select" when it gives you the options. These range from giving hints and tips as to what you ought to do next, to talking about one girls obsession of "cute" things. The storyline really is epic, and the animated cutscenes often give you a feeling of just how important your actions are in reference to the future of this world.
And in the immortal words of the Spy...I never really was on your side. You'll know if you play it.
Graphics: 3.5/5
Perfectly fine for a Tales game. not so fine if your looking for something to blow you face off.
Presentation: 4.5/5
As always, a great tales storyline, except this one dwarfs Tales of the World by 100 fold. Menus are easily navigated, but the constant talk of fonons, and fonstones will more then likely confuse some.
Gameplay: 4.5/5
its great to be able to see your enemies on the overworld, hence being able to run from them, but they chase you FAST, Not as fast as Symphonia has them though. And the FRLMS only gets better and better.
Sound: 4/5
Voice acting is great. Pity that much of the good Tales music repeats itself for every battle. But then again, which RPG doesn't?
Replay Value: 4/5
Its an RPG. Enough said. It does have a few parts where you have to choose to go with one group or another, leading to a different experience. item gathering and the norm, but after you beat it....but don't expect to beat it in the first day. Or week. Or month. Its taken me at least 60 hours, and I haven't even beaten it yet.
Overall:
A great addition to the Tales series of RPGs. Improvements on good leads to great. Where Symphonia left off on features TotAbyss picked up. Though if your expecting an RPG where everyone is always nice and happy...heh heh....
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January 4th, 2008, 21:12 Posted By: bandit
Mad Catz Enters into Multi-Year License Agreement with Harmonix and MTV Games to Produce Products for Rock Band(TM)
SAN DIEGO, Jan 04, 2008 -- Mad Catz Interactive, Inc., a leading third-party interactive entertainment accessory provider, announced today that it has entered into a multi-year licensing agreement with MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc., whereby Mad Catz has secured the North American and other worldwide territory rights to produce and distribute game peripherals and other products for the critically acclaimed Rock Band(TM) game.
Published by MTV Games and developed by MTV Network's Harmonix Music Systems, Rock Band is a new platform for music fans and gamers to interact with music, challenging users to master the lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals as solo artists or cooperatively as part of their own band. Built on deals with the world's biggest record labels and music publishers, the music featured in Rock Band spans all genres of rock and includes many master recordings from the greatest songs and artists of all time. Rock Band is currently available on the Xbox 360(TM), PlayStation(R) 3 and PlayStation(R) 2 consoles in North America.
Pursuant to the agreement, Mad Catz has secured the rights to manufacture, market and sell game accessories, including both wired and wireless bass guitars, a drum percussion set bundled with professional quality wooden drum sticks, and a wired microphone. Mad Catz expects its initial offerings under this license agreement to be available in the first half of 2008.
"This agreement with MTV Games represents a natural opportunity for Mad Catz to combine our core competencies of producing and distributing high-quality accessories with the entertaining experience of Rock Band's interactive controllers," said Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz. "Mad Catz will produce premium instruments, allowing gamers and music fans to experience music in an entirely new light while taking on the personality of their favorite music idols.
"The addition of the Rock Band license is consistent with Mad Catz' stated goal to align ourselves with the most attractive brands and highly-anticipated software releases while seeking additional accessory opportunities to further diversify and grow our revenue base. With the ability to appeal to both hardcore and casual gamers alike, Rock Band is one of the most highly acclaimed releases of the 2007 holiday season and beyond."
Source: Mad Catz Press Release
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January 4th, 2008, 19:54 Posted By: bandit
For the month of December, our traffic for DCEmu Reviews has been through the roof. We havent had this much since launch day (May 1st 2006) back when we were doing PSP reviews only and had 18,000 hits in the first month alone (thanks to Slashdot.org).
A month after launching, site was getting a dismal 2,500 hits a month. As each month past, it went up to 3,000...3,500, 4,000 and so on. Come April 2007, we're up to 6,000 hits and on our 1 year anniversary, we more than doubled our hits to 13,000 hit a month. From June 2007-November 2007, we averaged around 15,000 hits. But last month, we had a whopping 21,000 hits!
Yea, its probably not a lot of hits compared to the DCEmu Network itself or any other gaming sites but its an accomplishment for DCEmu Reviews. With that, I just want to take a quick moment to thank all our readers and visitors. Hopefully you can find all your gaming reviews and news at DCEmu Reviews and make some great friends while you’re at it in our forums.
Feel free to drop us some suggestions or comments!
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January 4th, 2008, 01:17 Posted By: bandit
XCM XFPS Mini Guitar (PS2/360)
Manufacturer: XCM
Site: Buy from Goldenshop
Price: $59.00-79.95
Overview : Enjoy all guitar games on Playstation 2 and Xbox 360 with XFPS Mini Guitar. Reduced size but with a great feeling, it is perfect for home but can be carried around easily!
Only half the size of a classic PS2 guitar, the XFPS Mini guitar is compatible with all Playstation 2 guitar games but also with Xbox 360 when used with XFPS 360 (regular, Pro or Sniper version).
Made of wood, it has a nice authentic feeling and is very convenient to play.
Features :- Half the size of classic PS2 guitar
- Compatible with Playstation 2 and Xbox 360
- Includes all buttons for PS2 and Xbox 360
- Made of wood for authentic feeling
Requires XFPS 360 or XFPS 360 Pro to be used on Xbox 360.
Quality/Usability : Everyone has heard of Guitar Hero. Whether you're a gamer, a parent or both, you heard the name before. Its one of the hottest music games to date and probably sold the most. There are Guitar Hero bundles where it includes game, guitar, strap and stickers. When a new game is released, sometimes its either game or another bundle or even both.
What if you just want the game and not have another huge box/guitar take up room? XCM has stepped in and released a XFPS Mini Guitar. The Mini Guitar is constructed out of actual wood. The main plug is a PlayStation 2 plug but can also work on the Xbox 360 with the addition of XCM's XFPS PRO or 3.0 Sniper. The guitar is fairly small and measures approximately 12 inches. Although the guitar is made of wood, it is actually lightweight.
On the front are 5 fret buttons, two selection buttons, strum bar, whammy bar, start and select buttons. On the back of the guitar is a switch that lets you choose between Guitar Freak & Drum Mania games (Option A) and Guitar Hero games (Option B). Below are usage instructions:
So how good is the Mini Guitar? Where do I even begin? The size and weight is great but it just feels too awkward. Its way too small and feels like a ukulele. The fret and selection buttons are too small and too close to each other. If you have the fret buttons on the left hand, its fine but if you have the fret buttons on the right hand, it will feel uncomfortable as you have a piece of the guitar obstructing your gameplay.
Its cool that the fret and selection buttons light up but you wont be looking at the guitar when you're playing the games so I think its useless. Theres also no need to press on the strum bar which by the way feels awkward. Feels like its going to fall off. Just pressing the any of the fret buttons alone will register as a button press. If you look at the video below from XCM, you'll see what I mean. Just watch the fingers on the fret and strum.
The whammy bar is different as well. On the Guitar Hero guitars, you can swivel the whammy bar to your preferred location which the Mini Guitar allows you to do also. But what it doesnt let you do or as much is press down on the whammy bar. There is no spring reaction. The whammy bar on the Mini Guitar was more parallel to the guitar itself than the stock image below (must be registered to view).
Activating the Star Power can be an annoyance if you prefer to tilt the guitar. I personally prefer to hit the SELECT button even on the Guitar Hero guitars. On the Mini Guitar, sometimes it activates and sometimes it wont. The Star Power will sometimes even activate with a slight tilt or shake of the controller which sucks especially if you're trying to build up on Star Power for that perfect moment.
Conclusion : Overall, the XCM XFPS Mini Guitar (PS2/360) didnt do so well in our testing. The only good thing about the Mini Guitar was that its light and small. Pressing of only the fret buttons is easier for some as you only have to worry about the buttons but it takes the fun out of the game. Its like playing Dance Dance Revolution but with only your fingers. For the prices that online stores are charging, it might be better to pick up a normal sized controller from a 3rd party manufacturer from a retail store for an extra $10-20. If XCM followed the style of the Guitar Hero's, they might have a good product as the GH guitars were perfect for playing. Revamping the style and look backfired on them.
Images via comments
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December 30th, 2007, 21:55 Posted By: bandit
Because Wii remotes use AA batteries at a fairly rapid clip, a couple of third-party vendors have developed rechargeable solutions for the controller. One such product is the Psyclone Essentials Wii Recharge Station, which is widely available at big box stores such as Target and Wal-Mart.
Buyers might want to think twice about picking it up, however. Psyclone's Wii Recharge Station has been the object of numerous horror stories on Amazon.com. At press time, some 23 out of 25 reviews on the site for the Psyclone Essentials Recharge Station gave the peripheral just one star out of five, with nearly all of those 23 reviews claiming that the Psyclone Essentials Recharge Station destroyed their Wii Remotes. According to the reviewers, the Wii Remotes ceased to function even after switching AA batteries back in them. (At least one Amazon reviewer claimed that Psyclone reimbursed them for their destroyed Remotes.) The official product site for Psyclone's Recharge Station states that "rechargeable batteries left unattended in the recharge unit for an extended period of time may cause the batteries and/or unit to overheat." However, the Psyclone charger's official manual contains no such warning to purchasers.
One alternative to the Psyclone charger is the Nyko Wii Charge Station, which scored well in our review and enjoys a somewhat better feedback rating on Amazon.
Source: Nintendojo
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December 26th, 2007, 16:32 Posted By: bandit
Joytech HDMI TriLink Switcher
Manufacturer: Joytech
Site:
Price: $54.95-79.95
Overview : Expand your digital connections with the HDMI TriLink™ from JOYTECH. Connect up to 3 HDMI compatible devices to 1 HDMI input on your TV or display. Ideal for use with PlayStation®3, DVD, or HD satellite and cable services, the HDMI TriLink™ features a Remote Control or Manual Selector Switch allowing you to navigate your HDMI source at a touch of a button. Supports HDCP (High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection), HD resolutions of up to 1080p and multi-channel digital audio.
Features :- Remote Control included
- Connect multiple HDMI signal sources to one HDMI input on TV or display
- Easily switch between three HDMI devices
- Supports full High Defi nition resolutions up to 1080p
- Three HDCP compliant HDMI 1.3 inputs provide a pure digital connection
Quality/Usability : With more and more technology being bought and used, eventually we'll have lack of inputs for all our devices. Yes, newer TVs have inputs in the front of the TV as well as on the side but its a hassle having to reach the back of the display each time you want to plug or unplug. At the same time, it can damage the ports as well.
Thats where selectors come into play. As technology advances, eventually we'll do away with regular audio/video cables (red/white/yellow, s-video, etc.) and everything will be HD (HDMI, DVI). HDMI selectors vary in look and design, features, functionality and most importantly...price.
Joytech's HDMI TriLink Switcher supports up to 1080p and is HDCP compliant but is also small and semi-affordable compared to some other HDMI selectors on the market. Inside the Tri-Link Switcher package, you'll find the Tri-Link Switcher, a remote control with preloaded battery, power supply, USB cable, infrared extension cable and manuals.
You must be wondering why it includes a USB cable. Well, its another way for you to power the HDMI TriLink Switcher. This is great if you dont have a spare wall outlet to plug in the power supply and you're near a computer or device that has USB ports. These days DVD players, PlayStation 3, Xbox360 and HTPC (Home Theater PC), all have USB ports.
There is a button on top of the switcher that lets you toggle between INPUT 1, 2 or 3. Which ever input is chosen, it will light up with a blue LED. It also has a infrared sensor. This allows you to use the included remote. The remote allows you to choose either INPUT 1, 2 or 3 instead of having to push the buttons on the Switcher. The remote control is fairly small and runs on CR2032 watch battery. Nothing fancy to be seen here. Just three buttons to choose your desired output. Whats nice about the Joytech HDMI Tri-Link Switcher is that it includes an infrared extension cable. Selecting inputs using the remote to the switcher can only go so far. With the extension cable, you plug it in to the side of the switcher and this will allow you to switch inputs from a further distance. The bottom of the extension cable has adhesive so you can stick it to your coffee table or something.
Conclusion : Overall, the Joytech HDMI TriLink Switcher works very well. I love the fact that its compact and light, I can control the switcher from across the room using the infrared extension cable and most importantly, it can run on USB. I ran out of slots on my power surge protector and I tend to plug and unplug power supplies if I am not using it that moment. My Samsung 32" has a USB port on it and it works great. Some or most should have USB ports as this is a way of upgrading firmwares on HDTVs. I think three HDMI ports on the switcher is enough considering on average, there are about 2-3 HDMI ports on a HDTV. Unfortunately, you'll have to supply your own HDMI cables.
Images via comments
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