Tired of waiting for Sony to release your favorite classic PlayStation game for PlayStation Portable playback through the PlayStation 3’s Playstation store? Well you can now play a ripped copy of any PlayStation disc on the PSP.

PSP users that upgrade to the Dark Alex’s Open Edition firmware 3.02-B can play ISOs ripped off of PlayStation discs right from a MemoryStick. Commenters report that the emulation runs at full speed with perfect sound, but PAL games seem to have some graphical glitches. Still, a nice Christmas gift for the hacking/piracy community.

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Stuff magazine is running a rumor item on the possibility of an upcoming Aibo, the robotic dog, working with the Playstation Portable and Playstation 3. The rumor goes that the Sony Aibo PS, as they call it, is being resuscitated by Sony’s Playstation division in an attempt to "bolster the PS3’s arsenal."

The Aibo PS will appear with its own avatar within Home and react in the real world as he does in the PS3’s upcoming interactive environment, according to the article. The rumor article goes on to say that you will be able to download new personalities for the dog from the Playstation Network and that the dog will be fully controllable using a PSP via WiFi. The dog’s head camera will send a real world vid feed to the PSP’s screen as well. The Dpad will control walking movement and the four main buttons will deal with head movement, which seems odd.

The Stuff folks rate this rumor as having a 53 percent probability. Seems like a cool concept, but I wonder if there’s the market for it to hit the real world. Who am I kidding? A remote control dog that can send live video from its head, sign me up for a baker’s dozen.

Yesterday Sony released a version 3.10 firmware upgrade to the Playstation Portable system with some increased security among other new features. By the end of the same day, hackers had already decrypted the 3.10 firmware to allow third party applications to run on the PSP.The party claiming responsibility for the PSP hack, “C + D”, was boastful about the day 0 hack of the new firmware stating, “$ony has lost another batle and will loose the war…”. Obviously they are better at hacking than they are spelling.

The new firmware updates for Sony’s PSP include support for an expansion of Playstation titles, support of MPEG-4 AVC format video files, a Conserve Memory feature and a dynamic sound normalizer. In addition, and more interesting in this upgrade is the ability to download demos directly to the PSP or transfer downloaded demo games from a PC. The first of these new demos that PSP owners can download is Killzone: Liberation, followed by Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror and SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 2 in a couple weeks.

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.

It is recommended that PSP Blender members do not update their firmware to 3.10 for the time being.
Sony released their PlayStation Portable firmware update, 3.10 and now makes demos even easier to check out.

Sony announced the release of the Sony PSP firmware 3.10. It includes Conserve Memory to optimize your Internet browser to see more data while using less memory. Also included with this firmware update is Dynamic Normalizer in the sound settings allowing automatic volume adjustment settings for playback of music and other audio sources with variable output levels.

Sony is also making it easier to check out their demos. Demos are downloadable at the official Sony PSP site as well as at the PlayStation site.

Some of the demos that can be downloaded are Killzone: Liberation which is a third-person shooter putting players into 16 intense missions to rescue hostages from the evil Helghast. Other demos include Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror and SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 2, both of which are set for release in the next few weeks.

Sony Corp. said Tuesday it will lower the price of its PlayStation Portable gaming device by $30 to $170 amid intense competition among game console rivals, particularly Nintendo Co.

It’s the first time Sony has officially lowered suggested retail prices on the PSP since its debut in March 2005. Video game publishers and financial analysts have been urging Sony to slash hardware prices in recent quarters.

The cuts come two months after Sony’s gaming unit posted a third-quarter operating loss of $443 million, largely due to hefty costs for the launch of its PlayStation 3 video game console.

Although Sony promised business at the gaming unit would improve by the latter half of the fiscal year, the company said declining sales during the October-December period of Sony’s predecessor console, PlayStation 2, as well as the handheld PlayStation Portable and PSP game software, hurt quarterly profits at the gaming unit.

Sony’s PSP competes mainly against Nintendo’s Game Boy and DS. Despite being launched in 2004, the DS — which some retailers sell for as little as $130 — outsold every other console in the United States in February, registering 485,000 units sold, according to market researcher NPD Group.

Nintendo has also been a formidable player in next-generation consoles, traditionally a Sony stronghold.

The Nintendo Wii, released in November, sold 335,000 units during the month, followed by Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 with 228,000 units and Sony’s PlayStation 3 with 127,000 units.

With its diminutive “Wiimote” — a motion-sensitive, wrist-mounted remote control — Nintendo’s Wii has been a surprise hit among kids, women and older players, catching on far beyond the “hardcore” gamer niche of young men. The Wii sells for $250, far less than the PS3, which starts at $500.

Jack Tretton, president and chief executive of Foster City-based Sony Computer Entertainment America, said Sony’s price cuts were an effort to make the game more affordable to young gamers.

“We have recently seen a steady rise in the number of teens adopting PSP as their primary handheld entertainment system, and we expect the new price will accelerate that trend,” Tretton said in a statement.

Sony, which also lowered the price of its higher-end PSP Entertainment Pack 20 percent to $200, will launch a print and online advertising campaign targeted at teenagers.

In late November, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. slashed prices on the PSP to $170. Although world’s largest retailer didn’t release sales numbers, analysts said the promotion was a success, and they were encouraged about Sony’s official new prices.

“We expect a modest step-up in PSP unit sales during an otherwise seasonally slower period for the video game industry,” Colin Sebastian, senior research analyst at Lazard Capital Markets in San Francisco, wrote in an investor note.

Sony Corp. on Thurs. said that it will release more than 100 first and third-party titles for the Playstation 3, Playstation 2, and PSP handheld in spring 2007.

Titles for the PS3 include Vivendi’s F.E.A.R., Activision’s Spider-Man 3, Tecmo’s Ninja Gaiden Sigma, and SCEA’s MLB 07 The Show.

PS2 offerings include Square Enix’s Dawn of Mana, 2K Games’ Fantastic Four Rise of the Silver Surfer, and Bandai Namco’s .hack//G.U. Vol. 2: Reminisce.

PSP handheld games include Sega’s Alien Syndrome, Square Enix’s Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II, Namco’s Ridge Racer 2, and Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas.

“Our second-quarter line-up of PS3, PSP and PlayStation 2 software titles demonstrates a continued commitment from both SCEA and third-party developers to the PlayStation family of products,” said Peter Dille, Senior Vice President of Marketing, SCEA.

“We are excited by the content being developed by our partners, but are also looking forward to launching PlayStation-branded exclusive games created by our own worldwide studios this quarter and throughout the rest of 2007.”

In addition, Sony will hold digital distribution of new content on its Playstation Store. Titles include Calling All Cars, Gauntlet II, Mortal Kombat II, and Super Puzzle Fighter II HD Remix.

We understand that it may be difficult for Islamic kids to stop playing their PSPs just to complete their daily studies of the Koran. Malaysian student Ikhwan Nazri Mohamad Asran designed The Raise: PSP Islamic Content after seeing a similar version of the Bible.

“For some parents, when we talk about the Internet, all they see is porn, the bad things. When we talk about the PlayStation, all they see is gaming and spending too much time not studying,” Ikhwan said. “A mother can say, ‘Read the Koran first and then I’ll let you play games.’”

He created his service between classes with the aid of 10 student volunteers. The software will become available for the portable system after May 18 to download on Ikhwan’s site for free, instructions included.

First I must say that if you ever plan on playing homebrew applications on your PSP then it would be unwise to ever update your PSP firmware unless you know exactly what you are doing.

On to the story.

Sony’s added some neat perks for PlayStation Portable owners with its announcement of the 3.30 firmware upgrade.

The latest upgrade allows PSP users to play compatible games online, do a bit of web surfing, download podcasts and more. The podcasts will be available at more than 7,000 T-Mobile HotSpot locations, which include some Starbucks, Borders, Hyatt hotels and about 70 U.S. airports.

The promotional offer also includes six months of Wi-Fi access at the T-Mobile spots. When the six-month trial is over, PSP owners will have to pay for the service. To get the deal, PSP owners have to login to the network by March 28, 2008.

“ This new offer enables SCEA to take portable gaming and entertainment to a new level of mobility and convenience for PSP owners,” said Peter Dille, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Sony Computer Entertainment America, in a media release. “With T-Mobile’s service, we’re making it possible for the PSP community to connect in new ways and access the online content they want in more places than ever before. More and more PSP users are going online to challenge each other in multi-player games, and we can now make it more convenient to access online gaming as well as the Internet, showcasing the rich feature set that PSP has to offer.”

The first game on the online list is Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters. More titles are expected soon.

The upgrade sounds like a good one that puts the PSP to greater use.

For a full list of 3.30 details, click here.

No, as much as we’d like to see it happen, this isn’t some kind of monster emulation effort. Instead, an intrepid young — and we mean young: his YouTube display name is “obiwan222222″ – PSP Fanboy has managed to get his PlayStation Portable to act as a screen for his Wii using Sony’s LocationFree Player solution for the PSP. By patching through the PSP to LocationFree and by sticking what looks like a custom made Wii sensor above the console, the PSP can display the Wii’s output using its WiFi to connect to the internet video stream, and a spare Wiimote to control the cursor. Unfortunately, this solution is far from practical, as there’s an built-in lag of around 6 seconds: not something you want when playing twitch games. Besides the actual concept, the best part about the walkthrough video (which is after the break), is Obiwan22’s narration. One typical quote for you: “I am not some kind of genius. I just want to make a statement [to show] what you can do with your LocationFree Player!” Aww, bless.