Filed under: CES, Gaming, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video

While a bit vague in the whole naming department, this new no-name OEM PMP51 PMP is actually packing a quite a spec sheet. The primary focus of the handheld is supposedly 32 bit gaming, but sadly SNES is nowhere to be found. But lucky for us there’s Game Boy Advance play, in addition to Game Boy, Game Boy Color and NES. The 3-inch screen should show off that emulated Advance Wars just nicely, and the addition of a 1.3 megapixel camera and support for plenty of audio and video formats round out the piece nicely. You can also add memory with miniSD and play your ROMs on the big screen with video out. No word on price or availability.

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Filed under: Gaming

An upcoming firmware update for Memor32 - the PS2 modchip on a memory card - promises to allow your non-chipped PS2 to play your entire collection of games from the comforts of a roomy, capacious USB hard drive. A group of Russian hackers named Memento are responsible for the firmware handiwork, allowing hard drive-based playback of your entire collection of PS2 discs for easy access, TiVo-style. Sure, the unscrupulous amongst you may use your Memor32’s new found powers for evil, but we just want to fire up Shadow of the Colossus without leaving the couch.

[Via ripten]

Continue reading PS2 memory card modchip to play games from USB hard drives

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Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

The Rock Band drum kit really feels more like the real thing than the toy guitars rocking gaming’s world of late. So how deliciously meta is it that one enterprising chap decided to convert what appears to be a nice looking real drum kit into a Rock Band drum controller, so he can play a video game pretending to play drums using real drums. If you’re not content with just upgrading your pedal to the real deal, and you’d rather not wait for the full replacement kit, consider turning the storage-lockered evidence of your failed college band into something you can be really proud of. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll want to revert it back and put the band back together again.

[Via Joystiq]

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Filed under: CES, Gaming

Peavey is gutting its regular guitars and inserting Guitar Hero components for its new “Riffmaster” series. In addition including a guitar that probably sounds better than a regular Peavey, the $2,000 kit includes a complete PA system and a floor monitor. Unfortunately, we found the guitar to be a bit heavy for Guitar Hero use, particularly when activating star power, and since the buttons are spaced the distance of regular guitar frets it was pretty hard to play. Not much info on a release, but it’s coming soon.

Continue reading Peavey’s Riffmaster Guitar is more expensive than your Guitar Hero guitar

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Filed under: Hardware

Do you live in the UK? Are you thinking of picking up a PS3 in the next seven days? If you answered “yes” to both of those questions then we’re here to tell you to wait. Next Friday a new “Pick N Mix” bundle will be available from most retailers which will allow you to grab a PS3 along with two games for only £350.

We know what you’re thinking. “Yeah, but the games probably won’t be any good.” Not so! Games that can be bundled with your new black monster include Ratchet & Clank, Uncharted, Singstar, Motorstorm, Resistance, Folklore and Warhawk. Or, if you’re feeling masochistic, you can even go with LAIR and Genji 2. Sound good? We think so too. This bundle will be available from Friday the 18th of January and will continue “until further notice”.

[Via N4G]

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Filed under: News

David Jaffe is an outspoken man — one not afraid to voice his opinions, concerns, qualms, and superstitions (really?) over the interweb highway. In a recent update to his blog, he argues for a “single standard” console — that’s not to say one console to rule them all, but a single standard upon which all developers could work on. We’re probably crazy for suggesting it, but if all future consoles used the Cell Processor as the basic standard, it could help developers ease into making games play similarly across consoles. Assuming there’s more than one and assuming any company would go multiplatform across similarly build consoles. Messy, no?

Our friends at Joystiq seem to have offered their own ideas on the subject, and they’re not bad if you assume Jaffe means a single console (which he originally seemed to, but in his edit he changed his mind clarified). A single standard is a little different, but really, the two would meet at some point. Who knows if it would work. If it did — wouldn’t we just have one automobile company? Different strokes for different folks and all that.

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Filed under: News

What would a TV be like if it used the Cell Processor as the base for its technology? Toshiba asked themselves this question and built a prototype television utilizing the Cell and we have to say — it’s almost sensory overload. First off, real-time upscaling of regular ol’ TV to high-definition is done flawlessly. No need to pay a premium for HD channels, we guess. The TV will do you one better — in addition to upscaling the picture, you can actually zoom in on the picture being shown in real-time and the picture will auto-focus and re-upscale itself. Impressive? You bet. Useful? If you’re analyzing a sports game, perhaps.

How about this: instead of channel surfing one channel at a time, the Cell allows your television to display multiple channels simultaneously. It’s like picture-in-picture, but 48 of them. Or 24, depending how you interpret our math. Clicking on one of these thumbnails brings up the video in the bottom half of the screen while the top half continues to stream the other channels; push whatever the button is again and it moves to full-screen. These small thumbnails are in standard definition — if they were in HD, the TV would only be able to stream six of them at once. Other features haven’t been decided on yet, but with that at the very outset you can bet this will be the ultimate TV set to own in the coming years. Color us impressed.

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Filed under: News

Capcom is throwing PS3 owners a bone with their upcoming port of the former Xbox 360 exclusive, Lost Planet. Luka, the female character pictured above, will also be playable in the upcoming game. The additional characters from the PC adventure (Frank West, Joe and Mega Man) will also be available.

While this addition isn’t likely to take people off the Capcom haterade, it should come as a reassuring sign of things to come. This isn’t the first time high profile Xbox 360 exclusives have moved to the PS3 with additional content. For example, the upcoming RPG, Eternal Sonata from Namco Bandai, will feature significant new content when it arrives on PS3.

[Via Siliconera]

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Filed under: News

Due to the removal of various components from the PS3’s innards, coupled with smaller chip size, Sony has been able to cut the production cost of the PS3 by half since last year. Each console can now be produced at $400 a unit, rather than the $800 it was costing for each PS3 around November 2006. It’s not clear whether this is the case for both the 40GB and the 80GB models, but it seems fair to assume that the 40GB is now selling at cost.

What does this mean for consumers? More wiggle room with regards to pricing. We wouldn’t at all be surprised to see a drop in price sometime this year. Don’t expect it to come soon though. Sony are still riding a bit of a wave with regards to PS3 sales and with a number of high profile games coming out in the next few months, that can only improve.

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Filed under: Cellphones, CES, Features, Handhelds

No matter where we go, RIM seems to have this same booth style where all the good stuff (the phones, that is) are stuffed in a central n