Sorry about the PSP Blender blog visitors who have been waiting on an update. We have been busy on a sister site of ours.

http://www.thegameforum.com

You can visit their PSP section here:

http://www.thegameforum.com/sony-psp/

You may want to check it out for all of the latest PSP downloads, and PSP hacking news. PSP Blender members receive special access to a PSP downloads forum. Simply send you receipt number and PSP Blender username to The Game Forum. Contact info can be found on their website.

Given that Sony invented portable music players with the creation of the original Walkman back in the 80s, it’s not going to come as a surprise to hear that its PSP handheld console will also play music for you on the go. All you need is a Memory Stick Duo to store MP3s on and a USB cable with a Mini-B type connector, both of which can be bought at your local home electronics or PC store. Your PSP will play both MP3s, which can be created by ripping the tracks from a regular audio CD using your PC and Microsoft Windows Media Player 10, and ATRAC3 audio files. Once transferred, you’ll be able to play games and music when you’re next out and about with your PSP!

If you’ve connected your PSP to your PC before, perhaps to transfer a movie or some digital photos, skip to step 4.

Sony has signed a four yeal contract with VoIP company BT that would bring video and voice calls as well as messaging to Sony’s handheld, the PSP.

Using BT’s technology, PSP users will be able to communicate using wireless internet for now. The companies say they are working on PC, mobile phone, and fixed line integration for the future.

“The PSP is an excellent device for both gaming and communications because of its high quality screen and audio capabilities,” offered Steve Andrews, chief of mobility and convergence for BT.

“With over 8 million PSPs shipped across Europe, we are very excited by the opportunity to give customers a whole new communications experience, connecting and seeing friends across the world through BT’s technology.”

Sony also added that the service will begin in the UK, and then move to other regions.

“The opportunity to combine our market leading expertise with BT’s knowledge in communications opens up many possibilities and we look forward to bringing many exciting functions to PSP fans,” commented David Reeves, president of Sony Europe.

Elgato Systems announces a hardware encoder in USB Stick format that rapidly converts video files to the high quality H.264 (MP4) format for iPod, Apple TV, and Sony PSP. Turbo.264 accelerates exports by a factor of 4 on an Intel Core 2 Duo up to a factor of 10 on a Power PC G4. The rate of acceleration depends on the Mac processor type.

Furthermore, Turbo.264 offloads the computationally intensive software conversion of video files away from your Macintosh, leaving it free for other tasks – a virtual co-processor for the Mac. Turbo.264 supports all Macs with USB 2.0.

There is no need to acquire additional software to convert videos, since Turbo.264 comes with video conversion software by Elgato. Simply drag-and-drop videos into the application and chose one of four formats: iPod Standard, iPod High, Apple TV, Sony PSP).

Turbo.264 supports batch conversions and even offers exports of unprotected DVD content (VOB files). Turbo.264 also accelerates exports from the most important Macintosh video applications such as iMovie, QuickTime Pro, Final Cut Pro, and EyeTV.

Turbo.264 supports resolutions of up to 800 by 600 pixels, enabling videos and TV recordings in PAL or NTSC formats to be converted to Apple TV with no scaling. In addition, Turbo.264 supports standard resolutions for iPod and Sony PSP. When conversion is complete, Turbo.264 automatically transfers video files to iTunes, making them immediately available to Apple TV or the iPod.

Pricing & Availability

Turbo.264 is available immediately for US$99.95 in the Elgato Online Shop as well as through distribution. The package includes the USB 2.0 Hardware Encoder, the Turbo.264 software on CD-ROM, a user’s guide on CD-ROM, a quick start guide as well as a USB extension cable.

The pop culture sensation is headed to handhelds, but three years after the movie’s release.
Crave Entertainment today announced that they’ll be bringing Napolean Dynamite to handhelds (three years after the movies release). The title till debut on the Nintendo DS and PSP sometime later this year.

The game promises to bring all the idiosyncratic moments from the movie. Napolean Dynamite will feature characters such as Kip, Uncle Rico, Pedreo, Tina the llama, and of course, Napolean himself.

Napoleon Dynamite is one of the great cult classics of the past decade, said Mark Burke, senior vice president of product planning and business development at Crave Entertainment. Its one of those films that has great memorable lines and characters, and we expect that fans of the movie will really like the game.

Well just have to wait and see if Napolean Dynamite is still a commercially viable title when it�s released later this year.

Sony has announced the launch of the Go! Cam, a camera that will allow PSP users to take pictures and videos. The camera, that has a 180-degree vertical swivel base, is very similar to the PS3 eye camera. The edit software bundled with the camera will allow users to edit photos, videos and audio clips on the PSP. Apart from these functionalities, the camera also has an in-built microphone.

According to sources in Sony, considering a 4GB Memory stick Pro Duo, the camera will be able to store up to two and half hours of videos and over 40,000 photos. And that’s not all. Users will also be able to upload all the pictures and videos on to the internet directly from the PSP.

One of the more popular characters in the gaming world, but one who has been kind of absent in the wave of new consoles like the XBox 360, Playstation 3, and Wii, will make his way to the Sony PSP this summer, as Sony has announced the return of PaRappa the Rapper. PaRappa will rap his way on to the PlayStation Portable in July and feature eight new songs that players can rap along to after downloading along with everything fans know and love from the PSOne original.

The PSP version of PaRappa the Rapper will basically just be a remix of the original game except for the eight new tracks and a few new features. All of the songs and characters from the original game will make the journey with PaRappa the Rapper to the PSP. IGN reports that the new version of PaRappa the Rapper will be developed by SCE, alongside Masaya Matsuura and New York artist Rodney Greenblat.

They also report that there will be some new PSP-only features for PaRappa the Rapper. The new portable version of the hip-hop star will include a feature where up to four players can go head-to-head in multi-player rapping battles. There will also be a demo that can be shared wirelessly and new downloadable songs on the PSP version of PaRappa the Rapper.

Gaming Bits quoted Sony’s announcement about the release of PaRappa the Rapper, “Featuring all the characters, levels and songs from the original, PaRappa The Rapper increases the franchise’s social appeal by offering a host of new PSP exclusive features, including the ability for up to four PSP systems to go head-to-head in ad-hoc battles; wirelessly share a demo level through Game Share; and use the PSP Infrastructure Mode to download eight additional playable remixes for players to rap along to.”

PaRappa the Rapper started on the original PlayStation ten years ago. PaRappa the Rapper is an action game with a rapping hero trying to get through a number of hip-hop tracks to win the love of his life, Sunny Funny. John Koller, SCEA senior marketing manager, told IGN, “Bringing PaRappa The Rapper to PSP allows true PlayStation fans to re-connect with this timeless classic. This also introduces the beloved PaRappa and his cast of colorful friends to a new generation of fans and potential hip-hop stars on the move.”

With the current trend of music-based games like Guitar Hero making waves, it was only a matter of time before PaRappa The Rapper returned to the world of gaming. If you’ve been wondering whatever happened to PaRappa the Rapper or jonesing to play an old-fashioned game in a world of new-fashioned toys, just wait until July when he’ll be back on your PSP.

The first handheld title in the legendary horror series, Silent Hill Origins uses the PSP to tell an original story with disturbing graphics and all-new gameplay elements. The game’s narrative reveals the origins that transformed Silent Hill from a sleepy town to a hellish stronghold of terror and introduces several new characters to the franchise.

Silent Hill Origins follows a solitary truck driver stranded in Silent Hill while making an ordinary trip. Confronted by perversions of his imagination that mirror his troubled past, he must escape from the town as it falls into ruin and also uncover the truth behind the hallucinations that have haunted him for so long.

The game introduces several gameplay mechanics that are new to the franchise and provide the player with an enhanced sensation of isolation as they make their way through the desolate streets of Silent Hill. Key to this is a new barricade system that lets players manipulate the environment to impede the progress of pursuing enemies, using furniture and debris to create a sanctuary from the evil that lurks outside. Players can also utilise an enhanced camera designed with the PSP in mind, as well as an updated control scheme for improved combat and more detailed exploration of the environment. Fans of the series will also revel in Silent Hill Origins’ original soundtrack by series composer Akira Yamaoka.

Took quite a while, but finally it’s here. The Sony PSP Firmware 3.40 first appeared in Korea, and was later rolled out to Japan. Well, we already got quite a glimpse of the changelog from both Asian official sites, but here’s a more English-friendly translation What’s new in PSP FW 3.40? Thought you’d never ask…

Game

• New for 3.40: Support for PLAYSTATION Network titles has been expanded.
• New for 3.40: Saved data from PlayStation format software can now be used on both PSP and PS3 systems.
• New for 3.40: [Certificate Utility] was deleted.
  • Information that was displayed in [Certificate Utility] can be checked by the following method.
  • Select the icon of the game you want to display information for, press the button, and then select [Information] from the options menu.
• New for 3.30: Support for Playstation Network titles has been expanded.

Network

• New for 3.30: Support for thumbnail images of items has been added under [RSS Channel].

Video

• New for 3.30:Support for thumbnail images of videos that are stored in the “VIDEO” folder of Memory Stick Duo media has been added.
• New for 3.30:The following types of files can now be played in the “VIDEO” folder.
  • – MPEG-4/H.264 AVC Main Profile (AVC CABAC) video files of the following sizes: 720 X 480, 352 X 480, or 480 X 272
  • *Depending on the data type, some files cannot be played.

Settings

• New for 3.30: [Use Wireless Hotspot] has been added as a feature under [Network Settings].

As we have previously mentioned, this PSP Firmware 3.40 has already been decrypted. To reiterate what we have said in an update of the South Korean site article, “apparently, the keys haven’t changed - this means that Team C+D’s decrypter for firmware 3.30 will work on FW 3.40.” Unfortunately there have been no other specific updates regarding this, and while there hasn’t been anything yet, just sit tight and click on the download link below.

Download: Sony PSP Firmware 3.40 (US)

“Homebrew coders push the boundaries on the PSP again, StrmnNrmn has released a new version of his Nintendo 64 emulator for the PSP that has been confirmed to play Mario 64 at Full Speed on Sony’s Handheld. A full Compatibility listing is available with games such as Starfox64 playble too.”