- Next-Gen.biz has reported that Sony were a bit naughty and have been fined 4.5 billion yen, (around US $40 million,) as well as back-taxes for the past five years during which they supposedly hid, or improperly reported, some of their earnings. Bad boys, tut tut.

- Gamespot have sat down and done some Memory Stick tests. As you may know, only SanDisk have a license to produce Memory Sticks other than Sony themselves. Gamespot tried testing a 512MB and 1GB card from each company in memory card readers as well as the PSP for both reading and writing. The results show SanDisk has a far superior product, so if you are in the market to upgrade from the rubbish 32MB one that came with your PSP, try getting a nice big SanDisk one.

- WAB have updated their UMD Image Launcher to v2.0a. Not much difference just yet, but you can now stop a program you started, (which is good since most crash right now.)

- PspPet, a member of the PS2Dev Forum has written a small application that connects a PSP with a PC via TelNet. You can then type text and it will show up on the PSP's screen. Here is the forum thread.
- Here are the instructions from the Read Me:
1) configure the "Network Settings" for "Infrastructure Mode"
There must be one configuration
(multiple configuration selection not implemented)
Do not use "DHCP"
(otherwise the Connecting status will stop at 00000003)
2) Be sure you can connect to that WiFi net using your PC
3) run the program on the PSP (both 1.0 and 1.50 versions available)
4) wait for the telnet instructions
5) on the PC, connect to the PSP using telnet
6) type in up to 255 characters and see them on the PSP screen
7) if you get bored, disconnect from telnet and the app will exit
8) on exit, see file "err.txt" on the memory stick for error logging
Very primitive, but a start

- "Online retailer ElectricBirdLand ordered to stop selling handhelds with immediate effect" says gamesindustry.biz.
- Sony said that importing and selling PSPs would "very significantly impact the excitement and anticipation of the market and the way we can exploit that in the run-up to the September launch."
- The defendant claimed they had sold £11,000 worth of PSPs to Sony employees but Sony's lawyers say is not relevant to the case.
- It is only an injunction for now while the case is finished. The next hearing will be on July 18.

- PS2NFO have reported news from a mod chip manufacturer that a PSP Mod is to be available soon with the ability "to fully run the iSO images from your Memory Stick", but this will of course cost you some money, and void your warranty. I would personally wait for updates to KXploit, UMD Run or WAB's launcher to get things fully working for free.

- WAB, the group who released the Trainer for Puzzle Bobble, have now released "PSP WAB MS Launcher Alpha." This can be used to launch UMD dump ISOs from the root folder of the Memory Stick. Right now it is only an Alpha version so no games are fully playable just yet. Most games react in one of the following ways:
* Load the title/intro screen only (for example WipeOut: Pure)
* Display "Now Loading" and hang (for example Ridge Racers)
* Display "Please Wait" and hang (for example Puzzle Bobble)
- It can't be long now until the kinks are worked out and UMD ISOs are actually useful ;)

- UMD RUN v1.0 is an application that runs from a Memory Stick in your PSP that will boot a UMD game in the UMD slot. It will not boot movies, only games, and does not boot anything from the Memory Stick, but we are getting closer.
- Just listen to this comment from the Read Me: "NOTE: To load executables from MS on a PSP v1.50 you'll need to set the kernel mode flag in module info and run sceKernelLoadExec from a thread with flags 0x0000 (0x8000 doesn't work)."

- For any of you interested in coding your own homebrew PSP software, PSPSDK is a library to help you accomplish your goal. v1.0+beta has just been released and is available now from the PS2DEV Forum.
- To quote them: "The PSP Software Development Kit (PSPSDK) is a collection of Open Source tools and libraries written for Sony's Playstation Portable (PSP) gaming console. It also includes documentation and other resources developers can use to write software for the PSP. PSPSDK is distributed under a BSD-compatible license. See the LICENSE file for more information."
- I can't wait to dig in myself when I get some time!

- The Universal Media Disc media format, more affectionately known as UMDs, which the PSP uses has now been approved as an ISO optical disc standard by Ecma International, with the title ECMA-365.
- There are two types of UMD out there - Type A (0.9GB) and Type B (1.8GB), details of which can be found at the Ecma International UMD Specifications page.
- This means the UMD Media Format is now out in the public domain so anyone can get the 95-page PDF spec list from the above link to work out the magic behind UMDs! Unfortunately I see this leading to counterfeit games hitting Asia in the not-so-distant future.

- It has been confirmed in the PSP Hacks Forum that the US version of Coded Arms does not require a Firmware Update, (at least not beyond v1.50 which current US PSPs are shipped with, and works with the no-swap KXploit.) So buy in confidence, dear consumer!

- pSyPSP today released two UMD rips. For those that don't know, rips are the same as dumps but with some files removed to keep the overall game size down. They are aiming to release rips of games to fit on 512MB Memory Sticks which are cheaper and more common, or even so you can squeeze more games on larger sticks.
- From the Tiger Woods NFO file:
This game had dummy files probably to help loading times, which were removed along with some music and commentary. It comes to about 509mb which should be enough to fit on a 512mb memory stick in the future when the games will be playable.
- The releases are titled:
Need_For_Speed_Underground_Rivals_JAP_PSP_INTERNAL _RIP-pSyPSP
Tiger_Woods_PGA_Tour_USA_PSP_INTERNAL_RIP-pSyPSP

- The NESPOT Network Utility Disc, a Korean update disc not meant for the rest of us, is a software UMD designed specifically for the Korean market. It includes the NESPOT networking software/subscription for Video On Demand, comic downloads, online gameplay, Music On Demand, E-Books, Web Browsing (with full support for HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and SSL protocols), and much more. IGN have a write up of the disc here.
- Anyway, the news is that this thing has been dumped and let loose onto the Internet. As soon as a PSP ISO launcher is let out, this thing will surely be the great new way to browse the web on the PSP, rather than the limited WipeOut Pure exploit.

- Gamefront.de, a German website, is spreading news of a silver PSP being released soon, according to Japanese retailers. No more details than that so far and Sony has not confirmed anything. Shouldn't they be concentrating on getting the regular unit out in Europe first?

- Need to convert your homebrew PSP software for v1.00 PSP's so it works on v1.50 PSP's? But you use a Mac? HomebrewPSP Converter for Mac OS X is just what you need then, generate working EBOOT.PBP’s for use with KXploit.

- PSP-Hacks points out a post on the PS2 Dev Forum which looks at how KXploit works and how it may be possible to improve it to work with newer firmwares. Here's hoping!

- The world's first PSP Trainer, (basically a cheat menu for a game), has been released by WAB. Puzzle Bobble is the lucky recipient of the treatment with the trainer offering the following options: Infinite Time, All Levels, and All Bonus And Points.
- Also of note is the fact that when you select "Launch Game" from the trainer's menu, it tried to open EBOOT.BIN on MS0 which hopefully means that a UMD ISO loader is coming soon!

- Back when Sony were announcing the PSP they mentioned that they wanted to get TV functionality into all of their portable devices. At CeBit 2003, the consumer electronics show, they showed off a Memory Stick based TV Tuner card. Images make the device look strangely tiny, especially when compared to something like the TV Tuner for SEGA Game Gear all those years ago, which makes me a little skeptical, but we'll see what turns up. But the question is really, what is taking so long if the device was protoyped two years ago? Here is a post from back then with an image

- It appears the asian release of Coded Arms comes with a firmware update which players are required to run before the game will launch. It only upgrades to v1.50 so KXploit will still work, but it is probably a sign of things to come. I'm sure v1.51 and/or v1.52 will be on the next big release.
- On a brighter note, another Gamma Pack is now available from wipeoutpure.com along with a repack of the first Gamma Pack.

- I added a new function to this website. The old style has been recycled to be a web design tool for those designing content for the PSP. Click the link in the navigation bar on the left, or just try this one: PSP Web Design Tool. Its a basic PSP Web Browser Emulator... really just a correctly proportioned frame on a nice image, but I think it might help some people. If it does, you're welcome.
- Thanks to psp-hacks.com and psphacker.com for linking!

- Another WAD pack has been released to make the DOOM / DOOM 2 port into another game, along with Heretic, Quake 2 and Duke Nukem. This time it is GoldenEye! Get it now from PSP-Hacks.
- PS2-NFO has released a tutorial for PSP Homebrew n00bs explaining how to get everything working in detail. You may be interested to pick it up.
- Also making things a little easier is PSP Brew which lets you download all of the homebrew PSP software you want in one easy to use package. Just choose what you want by ticking the boxes by each listing, (such as DGen, SNES, MAME etc.) press submit, then extract the contents of the downloaded zip file to your Memory Stick. Easy!

- Just as promised, PSP-Dev Team have delivered KXploit 1.5, the new improved way of running unsigned code on v1.50 PSPs. Grab it now from one of the sites listed on the Official Mirror List

- Reports come in that Sony is dropping their PSP production. Sony had earlier informed component manufacturers to expect orders for around 18 million units. However, in a recent meeting with suppliers, Sony confirmed plans to only manufacture 12 million units instead. That is a third of the numbers dropped!
- Meanwhile 20 million Nintendo DS units will be built this fiscal year.
- On a brighter note, check out this hack on Installing an iTrip in your PSP which allows you to broadcast your MP3s over radio waves - great for in car use.

- The PsP-Dev Team, the people behind exploiting the PSP to run homebrew code, now have a working v1.50 exploit, SwaPloit v1.50. (It should be noted that NEM worked on the v1.00 firmware PSPs.)
- To run unsigned code with SwaPloit you need two Memory Sticks, (you can use the crappy 32MB one that came with the PSP for the loader,) although there is also another method that only needs one MS.
- It has now also been announced that The PsP-Dev Team are going to release KXploit tomorrow. KXploit should be the final version of the v1.50 PSP exploit and will not require two Memory Sticks or any MS swapping.
- It has also been reported that PSP SDK Libraries have been leaked, appearing on servers as PSPdevsrc1.zip 436KB. These files are illegal to own unless you are a licensed PSP developer, but luckily the open source PSPDEV ToolChain has also been released!

- With UMD and firmware dumping tools being let loose onto the Internet (UMD Dumper Alpha v0.001 and PSP KDumper) it was only a matter of time before more commercial dumps found their way onto servers around the world. Here is a list of those found so far:

- USA Games
* Gretzky NHL 2k5
* Lumines
* Ridge Racer
* Smart Bomb
* Twisted MEtal Head On
* Wipeout: Pure
* WipeOut Pure Gamma Pack 1
* ATV Offroad Fury
* NBA 2K5
* World Tour Soccer
* Need For Speed Underground Rivals
* Untold Legends
* Tiger Woods PGA Tour
* Tony Hawks Underground 2 Remix
* Dynasty Warriors
* Hot Shots Golf Open Tee
* Ape Escape On The Loose
* Mercury
* Spiderman 2
* MLB
* NFL Street2 Unleashed

- JAP Games
* NFSUG Rivals JAP
* Ridge Racers JAP
* Vampire Chronicle: The Chaos Tower JAP
* WipeOut Pure Gamma Packs 1 & 2
* Namco Museum
* Metal Gear Acid
* Puzzle Bobble
* Mina No Golf
* Minna no Golf Portable Coca-Cola Special Edition
* Soukyuu no Fafner
* Word Puzzle Mojipittan
* Tales of Eternia
* Lumines
* Dinasty Wars
* Dynasty Warriors

- A whole selection of emulators have been released for you to enjoy on your PSP, including a GBA Emulator, SEGA MegaDrive & Genesis Emulator and WonderSwan Color Emulator.
- It is rumored a Neo-Geo CD Emulator is coming soon with a few screenshots surfacing a while ago.
- Doom and Doom 2 have also been ported. Hacks have also appeared allowing Duke Nukem, Quake 2 and Heretic to be played by replacing the WAD files.
- The biggest news though is that XMAME has been ported, which allows you to play hundreds of arcade games on your PSP right now!

- For those craving more media to play from your Memory Stick, PSP Drive.com help collate media from plenty of sources so there is something for everyone to consume!
- I'm sure more sites like this will be popping up as Pay-per-download, or subscription services, but for now PSP Drive is free.

- I read some interesting news on Gamasutra. According to a report on MP3Newswire, the movies on UMD's have been more popular than many expected. Resident Evil: Apocalypse and House of Flying Daggers have sold over 100,000 copies each since being released on April 19.
- "The success of the format has led several studios who had previously been supporting Warner's mini-DVD format to drop that format and prepare titles for release on UMD. All studios except Warner, but including Fox, Paramount, and Universal, now have UMD movie releases in the works, with the selected films meant for the 18-30 target market of the PSP's early adopters."

- After three weeks of inactivity, PSP-Files is coming back strong. The redesign is being implemented right now so there may be some interruption of your usual high standard service, but it is all for the best, trust me!
- The old design will be put to use as a web design tool for sites formatted for the PSP to test how they will look on the PSP screen.
- Thanks for your patience, pardon our dust!