A company, creatively named PS Jailbreak, has come out with what’s called the first USB based jailbreak/hack to allow for the Sony PlayStation 3 “fat” and slim models.

PS Jailbreak is a USB plug and play solution that installs in seconds, keeping your valid warranty seal in tact.

Easy to use installer and GUI takes you step-by-step.

Compatible with all production models “fat” and slim PS3. Supports all regions: USA, JAP, PAL and KOREA

PS Jailbreak disables forced software updates and will never brick your console.

Supports all games (it does not allow backups of Blu-Ray movies, DVD movies, or past consoles games)

Backup games to your internal hard drive or external hard drive through USB and boot directly off GUI. Eliminating the need for expensive Blu-Ray burners and costly blank media.

Play backups off your hard drives 2X as fast as off the Blu-Ray drive. This eliminates lags and glitches to provide you with smoother game play.

Open up your console to a new generation of homebrew applications. Load homebrew apps/games off any USB hard drive/flash drive.

Fully updateable with new features/updates by connecting PS Jailbreak to any computers USB port.

I remember products like this being shown about for the Japanese PlayStation 2, which never came out if I remember correctly. This USB based hack, which promises to work with all existing games, will allow for downloading, backup and installing games to the hard drive. Which reminds me, aren’t Blu-Ray disks about 25GB or so each? That means barely 12 games for a 320GB hard drive.

Better hope they come out with a terabyte drive for laptops very soon. Retails for ouch $125.

Last thought… where is there a homebrew community for the PS3? There are some serious holes in the logic around this device; but it warrants for more research. You know this will get blocked by an upcoming Sony PS3 firmware update. Still interesting though…

[ Links: PS Jailbreak ]

Official word is that this is a “long ways” off, so there’s no date announced as of yet. Destined to come out on the current generation of videogame systems – so far the Sony PlayStation 3 and XBOX 360 have been confirmed. I will express concern as to how uneven the mostly non-projectile but combo heavy Tekken fighters will fare against the projectile heavy and somewhat combo heavy Street Fighter warriors will be. Ultimately, I finally get to see who’d win between Akuma (Gouki) versus Heihachi Mishami.

Can’t wait.

[ Links: Street Fighter X Tekken Debut Video ]

Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) today announced that PlayStation Move motion controller for PlayStation 3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system will launch worldwide this fall, offering a motion-based, high-definition gaming experience unlike anything on the market.

Concurrently with its launch, SCE will also release PlayStation Move sub-controller to be used along with the motion controller for intuitive navigation of in-game characters and objects. The PlayStation Move platform, including the motion controller, sub-controller and PlayStation Eye camera, together with a strong lineup of software titles, will deliver an innovative and highly immersive experience on the PS3 system.

The claim that the experience is “unlike anything on the market”… um, Nintendo Wii controllers?

The combination of the PS3 system and PlayStation Eye camera detects the precise movement, angle, and absolute position in 3D space of PlayStation Move motion controller, allowing users to intuitively play the game as if they themselves are within the game. PlayStation Move motion controller delivers unmatched accuracy through its advanced motion sensors, including a three-axis gyroscope, a three-axis accelerometer, and a terrestrial magnetic field sensor, as well as a color-changing sphere that is tracked by PlayStation Eye camera. Through PlayStation Move system, both fast and subtle motion can be detected, whether the user is swinging a tennis racket, or painting with a brush. With PlayStation Move motion controller, users can provide direct input through action buttons and an analog trigger, while receiving physical feedback from rumble functionality and visual feedback from the sphere’s ability to display a variety of different colors. Furthermore, PlayStation Eye camera can capture the player’s voice or image, enabling augmented reality experiences.

The newly announced PlayStation Move sub-controller is a one-handed controller, developed to further expand the game play options that PlayStation Move games can offer. PlayStation Move sub-controller features a sleek curved design that pairs with the motion controller and comes with an analog stick and directional buttons that allow users to easily control the game when moving characters or choosing a direction. Like all other Wireless Controllers for the PS3 system, it comes with a built in lithium-ion rechargeable battery as well as Bluetooth technology, enabling the controller to transfer the input information wirelessly to the PS3 system without a cable. PlayStation Move motion controller and sub-controller will further broaden the gaming experience on the PS3 system for all genres, from games that use one motion controller to games that use both controllers.

All combined with a game + PlayStation Move controllers should cost less than $100 USD.

Before this dwindles into a Sony PlayStation 3 versus Microsoft XBOX 360 argument, let’s just start and stop with the warning via Destructoid that if you enjoy Activision’s Modern Warfare 2 on the XBOX 360, I would wait from playing online until this is fixed for good.

If you’re playing Modern Warfare 2 on the Xbox 360, you might want to lay low for a few days. Yet another problem has been discovered in Infinity Ward’s game, and this one’s a real bastard, with the ability to “infect” your profile and turn you into the game equivalent of an HIV carrier.

According to reports, players get “infected” by unwittingly joining a private match hosted by a carrier. They then get hit by the same issue – unlimited ammo and no reloads – and can pass it on if the end up hosting any games themselves. Allegedly, it’s “spreading like an STD.”

This unique issue started out as a mod on the PC version of the game, which we spoke about yesterday. It has been transported to the XBOX 360 and put to more sinister work. Infinity Ward is apparently “working” on the issue, and it appears that Microsoft is wielding its banhammer for anybody caught employing it.

So yeah. The potential that you might get hit with a hack, get banned and not even know you got it is rather high on this popular game. I would play it cool and not online for a while.

[ Links: Modern Warfare 2 gets an AIDS-like virus on Xbox Live ]

Batman: Arkham Asylum 2… yep, it’s coming for the Sony PS3 and Microsoft XBOX 360 sometime in 2010. Do want.

Hit up the Arkham Has Moved website for more.

Before you jump to conclusions, it’s not that IBM will no longer manufacture that precious little chip that powers your Sony PlayStation 3, but the Sony, Toshiba and IBM co-developed processor will not see the previously announced 32 SPE processor ever happen now. Not by IBM at least. And previously, Toshiba bought out Sony’s stake in the Cell CPU foundry [ article here ] almost two years ago.

IBM’s most recent development in the Cell Processor’s design is the PoweXCell 8i, which is featured in the second most powerful supercomputer in the world; Roadrunner.

However, this is where Cell will end for IBM. The company’s Vice President David Turek, told German website Heise Online that the planned 32 SPE Cell processor will not be made.

Fret not… the PlayStation3 processor will still live on. And if Sony wants to use a variation of the Cell in the PlayStation4, I’m sure IBM can be convinced with a few briefcases of money. But it does make you wonder what else will happen for this “wonder” chip. Seems to me like it’s finally starting to lose to the faster, more efficient (to program for at least) CPU plus GPU combination.

[ PlayStation University ] [ Heise Online ] [ IBM ]

You have got to be kidding me. There’s a Papa John’s promotion about ordering pizza(s) through the PS3 browser!? Like gamers need another reason to never leave the house… Sony is assisting gluttony.

I’m ordering two large pizzas right now

Perhaps this is part of the 3.01 update?

Sony seriously should stop trying to keep secrets. So the renders were very wrong (thank goodness) and the above picture is the real Sony PlayStation 3 Slim.

Not bad. You can get it for $299 USD in September. Also effective right now, $100 USD cut from the current, “fat” PlayStation 3′s. Just in time for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

After so many leaked, rumored images of the possibly worse kept secret in Sony history, could it be that the Chinese game magazine GameWave that recently posted an unconfirmed report finally revealed the true PS3 Slim images. And that it is to be shown at the upcoming GamesCom next week; and PS3 Slim is set to launch in September, for $299?

Anyway, here are some more images of the PS3 Slim model.

These photos look like bad renders to me… but here’s one more.

[ The Magic Box ] Photo source [ Mhiblart ]

I already own an OQO 01+. While I’ve used it sparingly – mainly when I didn’t need the full power of my laptop – it’s still a form factor that I tend to love because it fights right into my jacket pocket without a struggle and it still gives me full Windows usability; much unlike my Nokia N810.

Enter the ultra-portable OQO 02+ and the Sony Vaio P. Both have better than standard VGA resolution, for my uses, they support the most modern Adobe Flash Player version – sometimes I just need to show off something I’ve worked on – and they both run Microsoft Windows, not some mobile version of some OS.

The specs head-to-head:

OQO 02+
1.86GHz Intel® Atom™ Z540 or 1.33 GHz Intel Atom Z520
Windows Vista® Business, Windows XP Professional or XP Home
Up to shock-mounted 120GB HDD
Up to 2GB 533mhz DDR2 RAM
Backlit thumb keyboard
3.5 hours (standard 4500mAh battery)
5 inch OLED Screen @ 800×480 native resolution
HDMI output up to 1920×1200 resolution
Wifi 802.11a/b/g and Bluetooth 2.0 w/ EDR
Integrated Gobi 3G mobile broadband (EV-DO and HSPA)
Starts at $999 USD

Sony Vaio P
Intel Atom Processor (??)
Windows Vista®
Instant On Mode – Sony’s XMB (Cross Media Bar like in the PS3/PSP)
8 inch 1600 x 768 resolution LED-backlit XBRITE-ECO LCD
4 hours (standard battery)
802.11n WiFi with Bluetooth
3G WWAN mobile broadband
Integrated GPS module
Starts at $900 USD

I’ll be putting my barely used OQO 01+ on eBay very soon. Drool.

Just right before I went to sleep, I decided to fire up NBA 2K9 and was prompted to update to the new 2.50 firmware. The cool bits, my PS3 can now finally view Adobe Flash Player 9 material.

Erm. Great. I don’t even like using the browser to view the PlayStation Store for free downloads. Perhaps now things will be better. Also, the Sony PSP is up for a version 5.0 upgrade – up from 4.05 today too.

Update: 01:44am EST (GMT-5) and the PSP update is still not showing up for me.

Update: 01:50am EST (GMT-5) and version 5.0 is finally showing up for me.

And here’s the results:

Wasn’t that hard to do… not even that expensive. A few snips, some recollection of home economics/crafts classes I had taken waaaaaaaaay back in middle school and a lot of advice on how to template the thing around the PS3′s odd cigar shape from people that could sew better than I could while asleep.

If anything, on the next one, I’ll remember to measure better for the HDMI port in the back though. It’s a full inch higher than I had previously measured. And yes… it does what it’s meant for. Keeps the dust off my prized PS3 when I’m not using it and looks menacing cool enough.