There’s never been a better time to get a brand new PSP! With prices for brand new 3000 models going for as low as $245, there has to be some sort of catch right? Well, the truth of the matter is that this time, for real, PSPs that are homebrew enabled are a thing of the past.

I admit that I’ve been a wee bit quick to jump on the gun before but with absolutely zero homebrewable PSPs entering into the store the last few months and the homebrew scene has not been able to find any major breakthrough other than patching, sets that come with the magical 5.03 firmware are now very much sought after.

Here’s the lowdown:

• A homebrewable PSP sets you back for, minimum, $300. And that’s just the console alone.
• A non-hackable PSP goes for less, $245, and there are more colors to choose from but you would have to grab UMDs off the shelf for games.
• Firmware version 5.03 has been a mainstay for over a year now and Sony has just released 6.30. That’s a full numeric jump! Will there be a downgradeable hack or updated hack in the near future? Probably, which is why it does make some sense to get the cheaper PSP and wait it out. After all, owners of the then new TA-88v3 had to be patient for a good six months before the homebrew community made waves once again.
• UMD games are actually falling in price! Gone are the days when a game could cost as much as PS3 title. Now, you could get one from $22 onwards. We have pretty much anticipated the dearth of homebrew PSPs in the months before and are committed to ensure that there still would be entertainment for the months to come. Even newer titles such as LittleBigPlanet would only cap off at $38!
• Newer homebrew hacks for 5.03 are getting increasingly tricky and the potential of bricking or screwing up your PSPs becomes very high. Especially so with TA-88v3 motherboards running chickHEN.

That being said, the big decision maker is your wallet. It never hurts to support the developers who works hard to deliver the games that accompany you through that boring journey from school and back or to kill time while waiting for your friends to arrive.

Notice that despite being hack proof, the PS3 has been able to encourage a community of gamers who actively do their research on good games and trade them off once they are done with it. Thus, there will always be a source for affordable legit games.

I’m sure that a breakthrough is somewhere on the horizon and the sun has yet to set for the homebrew community. And, with no announcement of an upgraded PSP in the works, never say never.

I would love to hear your thoughts in comments or on Facebook!

Contact the author of this post, Gerald Chan, at geraldchan@qisahn.com

Share on Facebook

In every MRT train carriage, there are no lesser than 5 iPhones. True story. Just look up from your DS/PSP from time to time and start counting.

The biggest loser of Apple’s charge would be, unfortunately, Sony. Sorry dude, looks like the PSP GO didn’t quite make the waves that Sony would have hoped for.

Apple laid the groundwork with iTunes first then uber cool hardware while Sony tries the reverse. FAIL.

Here’s a quick rundown on the numbers: Apple up 14%, Sony down 9%, Nintendo down 5%. That’s just the US.

Be afraid, be very very afraid.

[Source]

Contact the author of this post Gerald Chan at geraldchan@qisahn.com

Share on Facebook

An advanced Media Player for the Sony Playstation Portable!

continue reading »

Share on Facebook

Nothing like a good tech cat fight to add flavour to an otherwise mundane Thursday. Oh wait, I just forgot, Apple just released their newest gadget, the iPad!

Apart from horrendous naming (iSlate sounded just fine), some people are already jumping on the bandwagon to hail the next competitor to the mobile gaming market. Abit too early methinks.

Sony has already announced that they are not the least bit worried of any Apple mobile devices moving into their territory, Nintendo, being the nice guy has not released any form of comment. In this respect, I would have to agree with Sony.

The iPod touch and iPhone has had a few good years under their belt to establish themselves as gaming devices. While the average consumer may enjoy the short game of Bejeweled while riding the bus or train, it certainly would not attract big developers to may big budget titles just to attract the gaming crowd.

Anyone tried the new Chinatown Wars on the iPod/iPhone? The controls on such a small surface is certainly a challenge but the bigger iPad does not make it any easier for one to lug it around.

I can just imagine the stares that one could get if you actually tried to play the iPad on the train. But, if you are the kind that enjoys such attention, I’m pretty sure you have already found the system of choice.

Although I may be too quick to put down the iPad as a gaming device. It is just a matter of time on how creative developers can get to developing a killer game/app for the platform.

For now, bigger is definitely not better.

Here’s a lol just for the fun of it. Btw I work on a mac, i own an iPod & iPhone so i’m not exactly an Apple hater here <3.

Sony: Apple iPad Not A Threat To Its Mobile Game Player [Source]

Share on Facebook

Last September when I graced TGS, it was entering a land that was the most foreign to me despite having the same skin color.

Thankfully, the common love of the female form brought many gamers. Wait, I emphasize, many male gamers together.

I took a snapshot of this one booth babe that stood out from the rest and behold now we have an actual boxshot of the game!

Check out how the actual boxshot is after the jump

continue reading »

Share on Facebook

I could not resist putting this up.

Source: Online Education

Once again Mario owns, no surprise there. If you to build brand loyalty at an early age, a game like Mario is the way to go.

Share on Facebook