Over 10 million PSP’s sold in US

Summing up the console sales figures after the holiday frenzy revealed some interesting information, but surely we’re not interested in how other consoles are doing. Our beloved PSP stuck to the middle of the rankings chart with 3,820,000 units sold during 2007, and has surpassed the 10 million mark in it’s lifetime. Since it’s debut in the US and ’till today - nifty 10,470,000 units has been sold.

Touch Me I’m Famous - Wallpaper

To save the wallpaper to your computer, right-click on the wallpaper above and select Save Image as … option from the pop-up menu. Then browse to desired folder on your computer and click on the OK button.

Rotate - Wallpaper

To save the wallpaper to your computer, right-click on the wallpaper above and select Save Image as … option from the pop-up menu. Then browse to desired folder on your computer and click on the OK button.

PSP Banned in Japanese airplanes

With the modifications of law regarding traveling with an airplane, Japanese government banned using WiFi devices such as computer mice, headphones and … PSP. No this is not a joke. Law which took effect on Monday, bans using PSP on a Japanese airplane, out of fright that PSPs built in WiFi might interfere with aircrafts navigational instruments. Previously, passengers were politely asked to refrain from playing games on PSP during the flight but now the fines will be imposed. And yes, Nintendo DS was banned also, if you were wondering.

How did PSP Slim loose weight compared to PSP?

Extensive testing and comparison between PSP and PSP Slim in the past few weeks have shown almost every single difference between the two. But a single question has not been answered in all that time of exploring new PSP Slim - How did PSP Slim, became so slim?

In our FAQ Roundup - PSP vs PSP Slim we explored functional differences between PSP and PSP Slim, and in our Technical specification comparison - PSP vs PSP Slim we have explored technical differences.

Read the rest of this entry »

PSP Sales down due to PSP Slim

For the last couple of days, numerous reports of PSP sales dipping were available on the Internet, and many speculated that Sony should be worried. After processing all the last-month numbers Sony has issued a statement about the sales of PlayStation brand in general, and a brief explanation of what’s going on with the PSP sales. According to Sony, August was a strong month for all of PlayStation consoles, with the $340.000.000 in sales.

PSP sales hitting all-time low, were explained by PSP Slims debut. A lot of customers were holding out on cash, waiting for PSP Slim to come out. And second problem in row, was a small supply stock of both PSP and PSP Slim. Retailers wouldn’t keep a large stock of PSPs since PSP Slim came out, and Sony couldn’t deliver enough of PSP Slims. Sony is hoping that, PSP Slim will regain the sales chart position of his older brother, in the next few months.

How to put/apply theme to your PSP?

This tutorial will explain how put new theme to your PSP, and how to apply it afterwards. This tutorial is written assuming that you know how to establish USB connection between your PSP and your computer. If this is not the case, head to our tutorial How to connect Your PSP to Your computer, and afterwards read this tutorial in order to put and apply new theme to your PSP.

Prerequisites

1. Theme file
2. PSP with firmware v3.70 or greater
3. PSP connected to computer via USB connection

Step 1 ~ Copy theme file to your PSP
Browse to your PSP on your computer by using your favorite file manager. Locate the drive letter assigned to Your PSP and browse to PSP folder within it, and then to THEME folder. So the full path to folder we need is something like:

F:\PSP\THEME

Where F drive letter assigned by Windows to Your PSP. Please note that this drive letter is used only as an example. Actual drive letter assigned to PSP on your computer will probably be different. If you cannot find folder mentioned above, do create it manually on your PSP.

When you have successfully browsed to THEME folder, copy the theme file, to this folder. After copying the file, make sure that copying is complete by verifying that PSP Memory Stick PRO Duo indicator is not flashing. If you have managed to copy the theme file, now you should have file/folder structure like this:

F:\PSP\THEME
–> cookies.ptf

Please note that theme file name is just an example, your theme file name could be different.

Step 2 ~ Apply theme to your PSP

Disconnect your PSP from your computer, and on your PSP head to SETTINGS option in the menu. Select Theme Settings option and from there select Theme option. A list of themes will appear.

Conclusion

Select, click, apply. Happy theming!

PSP Slim hacked! M33 custom firmware v3.60 released …

It seems as Sony hasn’t done much to protect new PSP Slim from homebrew community modders. Or is it more adequate to say that Sony hasn’t done - enough? Homebrew community - M33 team of modders, has just released a custom version of the PSP Slim firmware v3.60. It includes all of the features of their previously released M33 custom firmware v3.52, with the exclusion of v1.5 kernel support. Meaning, that homebrew specifically written for v1.5 will not run on M33’s custom firmware v3.6. As disclosed, installation of M33 custom firmware v3.60 is difficult requiring Pandora battery and Pandora Memory Stick, a non-Slim PSP with firmware v1.5 and of course the PSP Slim.

M33
We are proud to present the first custom firmware for the PSP Slim, and the first custom firmware
that runs using a 3.XX IPL (3.60)

3.60 M33 for PSP Slim has all the features of 3.52 M33, except the 1.50 kernel support, as
that kernel doesn’t work properly on psp slim (hardware problems, screen problems).
3.60 M33 will load homebrew from GAME, GAME150 and GAME360 directories, but all will be executed
with 3.60 kernel.

This mean that some homebrews done specifically for the 1.50 kernel cannot work on 3.60 M33.
However, the adaptation of code to 2.XX+ kernels is not difficult, and homebrew developers can
port their applications to work in these firmwares.

Read the full article at DCEmu.

Technical specification comparison - PSP vs PSP Slim

If you’re still thinking about PSP Slim and wondering if it’s worth the upgrade, we’re continuing to compile detailed comparisons of both devices. We managed to find the technical specification of new PSP Slim and compare it to the “old” PSP.

If you’re not so crazy about the technical comparison of both devices, but interested in more real user-based approach you can check out our FAQ Roundup - PSP vs PSP Slim. We have also added an insight to How did PSP Slim loose weight compared to PSP? which you can also check out.

Read the rest of this entry »

FAQ Roundup - PSP vs PSP Slim

Since PSP Slim hit the shelves, many users are asking themselves is it worth the upgrade, and will new PSP Slim fulfill their expectations. Many questions plague the PSP fans around the globe. Are new features of PSP Slim worth it? Is new PSP Slim better at this and that? Does PSP Slim contain everything Sony really says? So in order to clear up most of the indecision, we decided to make a compiled list of frequent questions asked about PSP Slim, and it’s differences to it’s older brother - the PSP.

If you are interested in technical comparison of both devices head to our Technical specification comparison - PSP vs PSP Slim. We have also added an insight to How did PSP Slim loose weight compared to PSP? which you can also check out.

Read the rest of this entry »

PSP Slim on flaws

Nice guys from Gamepro have taken out PSP Slim to a test drive, and put up article about flaws of Sony’s new baby. We were a bit worried when we saw that new PSP Slim actually has flaws (Hey Sony, you’re supposed to improve the da*n thing!), but afterwards we realized that Gamepro guys are really picky ones. Disregard that. It’s pretty much obvious they did a really good job looking into the new PSP Slim. Here are flaws the guys at the Gamepro found :

1. Sticky directional pad
2. New UMD slot
3. Too many separate outputs and inputs
4. Plastic bezel

Any of that worry you? Now head over to Gamepro and read the whole review …

You’re going down PSP Slim

It has been less than 24 hours that PSP Slim hit the shelves, and it’s already on the way of being - hacked. Even though PSP Slim features modified hardware and new version of firmware - v3.6, modders known as Mathieulh and Dark_Alex already have dumped the firmware from PSP Slims internal flash memory.

Many have feared that modified hardware in PSP Slim will add an addional security layer making it harder to hack, but it seems that is not the case. Mathieulh and Dark_Alex not only started to crumble security wrapped around PSP Slim but also confirmed that new unit does have 66MB of NAND memory - twice as much as original PSP.

…we wont tell how it’s been done, however it shows that hacking into the slim is possible with enough will…

Load time comparison, PSP vs PSP Slim

Guys at joystiq got their hands on PSP Slim, and made a nice video comparing load time on PSP and PSP Slim. They have used Star Wars: Battlefront to compare loading times, and from what it looks like, there isn’t much difference. Even though Sony announced modifications to PSP Slim - adding more memory in order to speed up game loading times, it doesn’t look it helped much. PSP Slim loaded game second or two faster, not much of improvement. Although one game has been used for this test, our hopes of faster loading UMDs are going down, down, down …

How to put videos on your PSP

This tutorial will explain how put videos/movies on your PSP, and how to watch it once it’s copied. This tutorial is written assuming that you know how to establish USB connection between your PSP and your computer. If this is not the case, head to our tutorial How to connect Your PSP to Your computer, and afterwards read this tutorial in order to copy and watch videos/movies from your PSP.

Prerequisites

1. Videos/movies files in appropriate format
2. PSP connected to computer via USB connection

Step 1 ~ Copy videos/movies files to your PSP
Before starting make sure that your videos/movies files are in appropriate format. PSP can play videos/movies stored in the mp4 file. For full list of supported videos/movies file formats see our FAQ section. Now, browse to your PSP on your computer by using your favorite file manager. Locate the drive letter assigned to Your PSP and browse to MP_ROOT folder within it, and then to 100MNV01 folder. So the full path to folder we need is something like:

F:\MP_ROOT\100MNV01

Where F drive letter assigned by Windows to Your PSP. Please note that this drive letter is used only as an example. Actual drive letter assigned to PSP on your computer will probably be different. If you cannot find folder mentioned above, do create it manually on your PSP.

When you have successfully browsed to 100MNV01 folder, copy the videos/movies files, to this folder. After copying make sure that copying is complete by verifying that PSP Memory Stick PRO Duo indicator is not flashing. If you have managed to copy the videos/movies files, now you should have file/folder structure like this:

F:\MP_ROOT\100MNV01
–> psp-commercial.mp4
–> funny.mp4

Please note that videos/movies files names are just an example, your file names should be different.

Step 2 ~ Watch the videos/movies

Disconnect your PSP from your computer, and on your PSP head to VIDEO option in the menu. Select Memory Stick option and a list of videos/movies files will appear.

Conclusion

Select, click, start. Happy watching!

How to put photographs on your PSP

This tutorial will explain how put photographs/pictures on your PSP, and how to view it once it’s copied. This tutorial is written assuming that you know how to establish USB connection between your PSP and your computer. If this is not the case, head to our tutorial How to connect Your PSP to Your computer, and afterwards read this tutorial in order to copy and view photographs/pictures from your PSP.

Prerequisites

1. Photographs/pictures files/folders in appropriate format
2. PSP connected to computer via USB connection

Step 1 ~ Copy photographs/pictures files/folders to your PSP

Before starting make sure that your photographs/pictures files are in appropriate format. PSP can display photographs/pictures stored in the most common file formats like jpeg, bmp, png and others. For full list of supported music file formats see our FAQ section. Now, browse to your PSP on your computer by using your favorite file manager. Locate the drive letter assigned to Your PSP and browse to PICTURE folder within it. So the full path to folder we need is something like:

F:\PICTURE

Where F drive letter assigned by Windows to Your PSP. Please note that this drive letter is used only as an example. Actual drive letter assigned to PSP on your computer will probably be different. If you cannot find folder mentioned above, do create it manually on your PSP.

When you have successfully browsed to PICTURE folder, copy the photographs/pictures files/folders, to this folder. After copying make sure that copying is complete by verifying that PSP Memory Stick PRO Duo indicator is not flashing. If you have managed to copy the photographs/pictures files/folders , now you should have file/folder structure like this:

F:\PICTURE
–> vacation.jpg
–> birthday.jpg

Please note that photographs/pictures files names are just an example, your file/folder names should be different.

Step 2 ~ View the photographs

Disconnect your PSP from your computer, and on your PSP head to PHOTO option in the menu. Select Memory Stick option and a list of photographs/pictures files/folders will appear.

Conclusion

Select, click, start. Happy viewing!

How to put music on your PSP

This tutorial will explain how put music on your PSP, and how to listen to it once it’s copied. This tutorial is written assuming that you know how to establish USB connection between your PSP and your computer. If this is not the case, head to our tutorial How to connect Your PSP to Your computer, and afterwards read this tutorial in order to copy and listen music from your PSP.

Prerequisites

1. Music files/folders in appropriate format
2. PSP connected to computer via USB connection

Step 1 ~ Copy music files/folders to your PSP
Before starting make sure that your music files are in appropriate format. PSP can play music stored in the most common file formats like mp3, mp4, wma and others. For full list of supported music file formats see our FAQ section. Now, browse to your PSP on your computer by using your favorite file manager. Locate the drive letter assigned to Your PSP and browse to MUSIC folder within it. So the full path to folder we need is something like:

F:\MUSIC

Where F drive letter assigned by Windows to Your PSP. Please note that this drive letter is used only as an example. Actual drive letter assigned to PSP on your computer will probably be different. If you cannot find folder mentioned above, do create it manually on your PSP.

When you have successfully browsed to MUSIC folder, copy the music files/folders, to this folder. After copying make sure that copying is complete by verifying that PSP Memory Stick PRO Duo indicator is not flashing. If you have managed to copy the music files/folders , now you should have file/folder structure like this:

F:\MUSIC
–> dmx-prayer.mp3
–> linkinpark-whativedone.mp3

Please note that music files names are just an example, your file/folder names should be different.

Step 2 ~ Listen to the music

Disconnect your PSP from your computer, and on your PSP head to MUSIC option in the menu. Select Memory Stick option and a list of music files/folders will appear.

Conclusion

Select, click, start. Happy listening!

How to install a PSP game demo to Your PSP

This tutorial will explain how install PSP game demo to your PSP, and how to start it once it’s installed. This tutorial is written assuming that you know how to establish USB connection between your PSP and your computer. If this is not the case, head to our tutorial How to connect Your PSP to Your computer, and afterwards read this tutorial in order to install and run your first PSP game demo.

Prerequisites

1. PSP game demo
2. PSP connected to computer via USB connection

Step 1 ~ Prepare PSP game demo files

PSP game demos are most commonly packed in to a ZIP archive, containing appropriate game folder and game file/files. You need to unpack this archive on your computer if you haven’t done so yet. Make sure that you unpack all the content of the archive and not only the game file/files.
After unpacking the archive you should have a new folder with file/files in it. If you have successfully completed this you should have folder with file/files, similar to:

UCUS98631
–> EBOOT.PBP
–> data.drm

Please do note that every PSP game demo is stored in unique folder, and cannot work if folder name is different. In this tutorial we have used name like UCUS98631, but the actual name of the folder you will have will probably be different.

Step 2 ~ Copy PSP game demo to your PSP

Now, browse to your PSP on your computer by using your favorite file manager. Locate the drive letter assigned to Your PSP and browse to PSP folder and afterwards to GAME folder within it. So the full path to folder we need is something like:

F:\PSP\GAME

Where F drive letter assigned by Windows to Your PSP. Please note that this drive letter is used only as an example. Actual drive letter assigned to PSP on your computer will probably be different. If you cannot find folders mentioned above, do create them manually on your PSP.

When you have successfully browsed to GAME folder, copy the PSP game demo folder, we got in Step 1 of this tutorial, to this folder. After copying make sure that copying is complete by verifying that PSP Memory Stick PRO Duo indicator is not flashing. If you have managed to copy the PSP game folder and files, now you should have file/folder structure like this:

F:\PSP\GAME\UCUS98631
–> EBOOT.PBP
–> data.drm

Step 3 ~ Start the PSP game demo

Disconnect your PSP from your computer, and on your PSP head to GAME option in the menu. Do not start the UMD as you would usually do, but scroll down to Memory Stick option. Select it and a demo you just have installed will appear.

Conclusion

Select, click, start. Happy gaming!

How to connect your PSP to your computer

This tutorial will explain how to connect your PSP to your computer, in order to transfer any kind of files to the PSP. This is the most common operation needed in order to transfer photos, music, videos, games or any other kind of media to your PSP. This tutorial is written assuming that you have absolutely no experience with PSP or even connecting any other device with USB connection to your computer.

Prerequisites

1. PSP
2. Computer with USB connection
3. USB-Mini cable
4. Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Duo Pro card

Step 1 ~ Insert Memory Stick into your PSP

On the left side of your PSP is a Memory Stick Duo slot covered with a protective rubber. Open the slot by taking off the rubber cover, and be careful - cover doesn’t come off all the way - it’s attached to the PSP body. Now insert Memory Stick Duo into the slot, with the card facing bottom of the PSP (connectors should be facing you). When you hear clicking noise, meaning that Memory Stick Duo card has safely been locked in to the slot, close protective cover.

If this is the first time you have inserted that Memory Stick Duo in to your PSP, it is possible that it will be necessary to format the card in order to use it. If so, turn on your PSP and head to the System settings option in the Settings menu. If you are absolutely sure that you are using that Memory Stick Duo for the first time and that you have no information on it, select Format Memory Stick option, and confirm when asked do you want to format.

Step 2 ~ Connect USB-Mini cable to PSP and computer

On the top side of your PSP there’s a mini USB connector where you should connect the mini part of the USB cable you prepared earlier. Other end of the USB cable goes to USB connector on your computer. When you have connected both ends of the USB cable, power up your PSP if it is turned off (it doesn’t matter if it was already powered on). Now head to USB Connection option in the Setting menu. Second or two later, you should be prompted on your computer that new device has been connected.

Step 3 ~ Browse PSP on your computer

If you have completed previous two steps, your computer should assign PSP a drive letter and it should appear in Windows Explorer (or your favorite file manager) as new drive (just beneath your Hard Disks in folder list). The drive letter assigned to your PSP could vary on the number of the drive letter you already got assigned. It should probably be the last drive. Now browse to PSP (newly assigned drive letter) and open it. You should see a folders like these:

MP_ROOT
MUSIC
PICTURE
PSP
VIDEO

If some folders are missing do not worry. This is just an example and not all folders are required in order for your PSP to work normally. If some folders are missing, they can be created manually, or your PSP should do so when you format your Memory Stick.

Conclusion

Voila! Your PSP is now connected to your computer, and you are ready to transfer files to your PSP!