The Nintendo Power Hotline (425.885.7529) has a thing or two to say about the Nintendo Revolution including:

”When Nintendo’s new console, codenamed Revolution, arrives in the later half of 2006, everyone will discover the meaning of all-access gaming.”
Sounds like the “Revolution” will make its way to North America sometime after Summer 2006. But that’s if you trust a hotline… ...

Gizmondo USA Inc. subsidiary of Jacksonville, Florida-based Tiger Telematics Inc (other OTC, TGTL) has confirmed the US version of the Gizmondo handheld multi-entertainment device, launching in North America on 22nd October, will include an upgraded battery doubling the operational time compared to the standard power pack.

The new handheld, which possesses an incredible cache of functions (next-gen games, DVD-quality movies, awesome MP3 playback, a razor-sharp digital camera, picture and text messaging, optional email, and GPS), will retail at a very affordable $229 (SRP).

Steve Carroll, CTO for Gizmondo, says: "This upgraded power pack will enable the user to enjoy up to six hours of continuous gaming, 150 hours on standby, and similarly increased operation times for the movie, music, and GPS functions."

Carl Freer, co-founder and Chairman, Tiger Telematics, says: "Economies of scale from launching in the UK first have allowed us to include this upgraded battery pack for the US launch. We're also making this new battery available in Europe for those wanting to get more out of their new Gizmondo handheld."

Gizmondo is powered by Microsoft Windows CE advanced real-time operating system, boasting a 2.8-inch TFT colour screen with a Samsung ARM9 400Mhz processor and incorporates the GoForce 3D 4500 NVIDIA graphics accelerator. It provides cutting-edge gaming, multimedia messaging, an MP3 music player, Mpeg4 movie playing capability, a digital camera and a GPRS network link to allow wide-area network gaming. Additionally, it contains a GPS chip for location-based services, is equipped with Bluetooth for use in multi-player gaming and accepts SD and MMC card accessories. ...

Xbox UK boss Neil Thompson has confirmed that he is confident Microsoft will have a strong head start in the next-gen console battle, suggesting that the PS3 might not launch until spring 2007.

“I’ll be happy to compete whenever they turn up, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s not until spring 07,” he told trade magazine MCV.

“If they hit Xmas 06, then maybe it’ll be a very thin launch; a launch in name only.”

So far Sony has only hinted that the next-generation PlayStation will hit the market in spring 2006, and it seems unlikely that the company will follow in the footsteps of Microsoft and attempt a global launch. They're more likely to follow the traditional model and launch in Japan first, followed by North American and then PAL territories.

But just when will the console arrive in Europe? Autumn 2006 seems likely to be the earliest date, with a 2007 release still a distinct possibility. As for how much the console will cost, estimates continue to vary wildly, with some industry figures predicting that the PS3 could retail for as much as GBP 499. ...

Xbox UK boss Neil Thompson has confirmed that he is confident Microsoft will have a strong head start in the next-gen console battle, suggesting that the PS3 might not launch until spring 2007.

“I’ll be happy to compete whenever they turn up, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s not until spring 07,” he told trade magazine MCV.

“If they hit Xmas 06, then maybe it’ll be a very thin launch; a launch in name only.”

So far Sony has only hinted that the next-generation PlayStation will hit the market in spring 2006, and it seems unlikely that the company will follow in the footsteps of Microsoft and attempt a global launch. They're more likely to follow the traditional model and launch in Japan first, followed by North American and then PAL territories.

But just when will the console arrive in Europe? Autumn 2006 seems likely to be the earliest date, with a 2007 release still a distinct possibility. As for how much the console will cost, estimates continue to vary wildly, with some industry figures predicting that the PS3 could retail for as much as GBP 499. ...

Microsoft has announced an update to its Media Centre Edition of Windows, enabling customers to stream music, videos, movies, television and photos to any television set or device via the Xbox 360 console.

Will Poole, senior vice president of the Windows Client Business at Microsoft stated: "We introduced Windows XP Media Centre Edition three years ago with a vision to simplify the way people experience digital entertainment on their PC using something as familiar as a remote control. Now, Media Centre Edition and Xbox 360, together with offerings from hundreds of industry partners, are providing fantastic interactive entertainment experiences that can be experienced throughout the home."

The free update will be available to existing Media Centre Edition users via the Microsoft update website, and will be available shortly on new Media Centre PCs at retail. In addition to enabling high definition digital media streaming fro the first time, the update includes a number of functionality enhancements and new features for the Media Centre, as part of Microsoft's ongoing development of the digital media entertainment sector.

The new features include support for external DVD changers, enabling the management of up to 200 DVD selections from within the MC interface, displaying media information and cover art for all loaded DVDS. Away Mode will improve the power-saving features, enabling television recording, streaming and system tasks to be undertaken in a low-power mode, with support for the feature coming from hardware partners including Acer, Shuttle, HP, Gateway and more.

As the roll-out of High Definition Television begins to take shape, supported by the Xbox 360, Media Centre updates will include an HDTV tuner support, in addition to enhanced DVD burning features to convert HDTV to standard definition and burn media in one simple step.

The company now has over 75 content partners delivering dedicated content for Media Centre PCs, with further agreements from companies including MTV Overdrive, AOL and more committing to the content streaming service. Microsoft's next generation console has long been touted by the firm as the next step in multi-media functionality, providing a much broader service than simple gameplay and, hopefully, encouraging a more mainstream audience with its music, video and digital media features. The Media Centre update further reinforces Microsoft's commitment to connecting the content, and platforms for its next generation technology.

Brad Brookes, senior director of product management at Microsoft's Windows Client division commented: "The strategy here is quite simple. We want to create an environment based on Windows that will give consumers the ability to take their content to any device that was connected back to a Windows PC. The Xbox 360 us just the next evolution of that vision." ...

Great News for Homebrew Fans from Lik Sang, now we can store much more on our PSPs and for the better price of $199, heres some of the news from Lik Sang:

With the very first sample of Datel's 4GB Hard Drive for Sony PSP, we received the final and confirmed price, as well as availability and shipping information. Lik Sang expects to have the product in stock by Monday, and the final and confirmed price of the unit is US$ 199. All customers who pre-ordered for the unconfirmed price of US$ 249.90 will of course get the new price applied automatically (we'll send you an email within 48h).

There is currently a huge rush on the unit and stock will definitely be limited over the next couple of weeks. Secure your unit by placing a pre-order today, compared to available Memory Sticks and expansion batteries it's a steal.

The 4GB Hard Drive is connected with the PSP by means of what Datel calls a flexible Memory Stick™ adapter that is plugged into the Memory Stick™ slot on the PSP. Once connected, the body of the HD attaches to the back of the PSP using two location posts which slot into corresponding holes on the back of the PSP. When used in conjunction with the X2 double capacity battery the 4GB HD forms an ergonomic extension to the PSP which follows the neat lines of the handheld.

The PC software is completely optional and advanced users already setup with Memory Stick, video converting software and game saves manager may keep their old setup. If you are completely new to "media management" for your PSP, Datel's software will be good quickstart: it allows you to manage your save files, download more of them from Codejunkies, convert movies, transfer files back and forth and more. The software comes in form of an 8cm CD-ROM. When we installed it, we were asked if we would like to automatically download an update from Codejunkies.com.

You'll also find an installation guide in the box and Datel provides support virtually everywhere in the world through codejunkies.com and their European and American hotlines.

Free Space 3803 MB - Size and Performance

Once in place and the PSP switched on, the hard drive is recognized by the firmware with 3803 MB free space. Because the 4GB Hard Drive is based on Microdrive technology (see here for an illustration), it is tiny and small and therefore doesn't make any noise when it is spinning.



If you are worried about the total weight of your PSP with 4GB Hard Drive and X2 Battery Pack, we've got good news. The hard drive's weight is is about 35 grams, and the X2 only additional 80 grams. The total weight of both units connected to your PSP is not more than about 125 gram. A PSP with standard battery and a UMD in the drive weights about 320 grams in comparison.

Transferring Movies to the PSP

In this test we have transferred a movie file with about 150 MB from the PC to the PSP's Memory Stick slot.

• Transferring to Memory Stick using Media Manager: 44 Seconds.
• Transferring to 4GB Hard Drive using Media Manager: 90 Seconds.
• Transferring to Memory Stick using Windows: 35 Seconds.
• Transferring to 4GB Hard Drive using Windows: 75 Seconds.

Loading Times

Here is an overview of how loading files from the three different solutions compares. Please note that in this test we measured the time from pressing start in the PSP menu, until the file was fully loaded and could be played back. The times will of course vary depending on the file size.

• Loading from Memory Stick: 1 Second.
• Loading from 4GB Hard Drive: 8 Seconds.
• Loading from UMD: 27 Seconds.

Battery Life on Movie Playback

To answer the question if a Microdrive consumes more power than a normal Memory Stick, we have put a couple of PSP's into test and waited until they shut down before running out of power.

• Playing movie with Standard Battery and SanDisk 1G Memory Stick: 4.45 Hours.
• Playing movie with Datel X2 Battery and Datel 4GB Hard Drive: *Still Testing* (Updated within 24h)

Replacing the Internal Hard Drive

After having done all the standard tests, it was now the time to get a screw driver and see if our theories about hard drive up- and downgrades will prove to be true. After last weeks announcement of the 4GB Hard Drive, all the tech freaks here at Lik Sang couldn't resist to conjecture about all the different possibilities should the 4GB Hard Drive turn out to be a normal Memory Stick to Microdrive (aka Contact Flash, aka ATA/IDE) adapter on the inside. Imagine if Compact Flash cards work with it, imagine if you can plug in a 6GB or 8GB Microdrive, imagine if you can trick around and actually run a 120GB hard drive on your PSP?

Now all these theories can only be proven to be true if the PSP's Firmware actually supports file systems with maximum volume sizes of over 4GB. A quick search at Microsoft.com revealed that the standard FAT (FAT16) format that the PSP uses has a maximum volume size of 4GB, only FAT32 (maximum 32GB) and NTFS ...

Divineo China have posted this news:

The SD version was supposed to be available in the mid of Oct , however , the manufacturer told us it will be delayed to 27th Oct , we know that most of you have been waiting for long time but such situation is out of our control. You can also visit the official site : www.m3adapter.com for the update shipping schedule of the product. ...

Marcelo Souza has released a scientific calculator app that is just for v2.0 firmware PSP consoles only, heres what the coder says:

I made all the changes on the original code (It's a free code), and did the new skin, to be suited to the PSP screen resolution. I did not tested this calculator on any browsers of the versions older than PSP 2.0. I am sure it runs nice on the PSP 2.0 Browser.

Download via the comments: ...

Fanjita updated his EbootLoader for PSP firmware version 2.0 to v0.5, heres whats new:

v0.5 : More compatibility enhancements, bug fixes
- Better argc/argv handling, prevents a common cause of startup crashes (e.g. PSP Schedule).
- Made the 'return to chooser' function more stable. It now shouldn't affect how well the next EBOOT loads.
- Improved file scanning speed - large EBOOTs should load much faster.
- Added 'alternate startup parameters' option on final launch menu.
- Bundled v0.3 alongside this release, for running Sega Master System emulator (broken in 0.5).
- Introduced 'EBOOT signatures' : known workarounds for specific EBOOTs should now be turned on automatically, and install location can be automatically checked if a specific path is required.
- Added support for .init sections, should help avoid a few more startup crashes.
- Added option to return to EBOOT chooser on final confirmation menu.
- Version number shown on screen fixed.
- Lots more info in readme file.
- Various minor bugfixes.

Adds support for these EBOOTs:
- PSP Schedule 0.25
- PSP Sokoban 0.9
- Tetris Portable 0.3
- Sega Master System / Game Gear emulator (was broken in v0.4).
... and probably more.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Some people have had problems running v0.4 without a custom wallpaper set. I recommend setting a custom wallpaper if you have problems running v0.5, too.

Download via the comments ...