The Offical PS3 / PSP / PS2 Thread Vol. XII - Lean Mean Gaming Machine

[Fatbloke]

Previous thread here : The Offical PS3 (now with PSP & PS2) FAQ Thread Vol. XI - There's no place like... (http://www.thedvdforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=535275)

FAQ (updated slightly)

Handy Links

UK Playstation Site (http://uk.playstation.com/ps3/)
Online Manual (http://manuals.playstation.net/document/en/ps3/current/index.html)
Backwards Compatibility - No Backwards compatibility on the 40Gb Model (http://faq.eu.playstation.com/bc/bcGames.htm;ZSESSIONID=GfSbPzm62VLz608vb2vZLt3G1p1FBNsPX2QF5FS72vpDyTLv48CZ!1129527845?locale=en_GB)
Region Free BluRay List for all you BluRay lovers. (http://www.thedvdforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=478825). More here too (http://www.thedvdforums.com/blu-ray/Region_A_Coding_22_December_2008.htm)
http://www.continuousplay.co.uk/ The Sony site for extending the warranty beyond the initial 12 months.

General FAQ

How Much?

With all UK 60gb boxes retired you now have the choice of a crippled 40gb box or a 80gb box. The 80gb has all the features of our 60gb version. Expect to be paying about £300 for a uk 80gb console bundled with a game.

Availability?

Everywhere has plenty of stock so getting hold of one will not be a problem.

So what are the specs?

Sony are determined to release a slightly different spec every quarter it seems. As things stand in the UK we are currently stuck with a 40gb model that is soon to be upgraded to an 80gb model.

All PS3's share the following specs


3.2GHz Cell Processor
NVidia G70 based GPU
BluRay Drive
Sixaxis Bluetooth Controller
Wired and Wireless Ethernet

and these are the model specific bits

Current UK 40gb

2 x USB
No card readers
No backwards compatibility
No SACD playback

Launch UK 60GB model

4 x USB
Memory card readers
Software backwards compatibility
SACD playback

What's the warranty?

12 months from the date of purchase. There are reports that Sony require the receipt as proof of purchase although they never queried my PS3 that was registered with them at purchase so who knows. Best to keep the receipt and make sure you get the original receipt if buying one second hand.

What accessories are available?

Bluray Remote Control - For controlling playback of bluray movies
Sixaxis Wireless Controller - With rumble , comes with usb cable to charge from either the ps3 or any usb 2.0 port. The cables painfully short so you may want to track down a longer usb lead or extender.
Dualshock 3 - As above but a bit rumbley. Not out over here yet but available to import and fully compatible with uk models, doesn't come with a usb lead, available in white or black.
3m HDMI Cable - The next gen starts after you've been back to the shop for one of these.
Component AV Cable - If you have a screen that takes component but no hdmi then you'll be wanting one of these.
SVideo AV Cable
Multi AV cable - You get one of these in the box (with scart adapter), if you need to use this cable you really need a new telly first.


It's also worth noting that if you already have a ps2 rgb scart lead you can use that.

If you're moving the ps3 from a HDTV to an SDTV and you're just getting a black screen hold down the power button for 5-10 seconds whilst in standby and it will reset and auto detect the video connection type.


So whats with the sixaxis?

The PS3 controller is now called the sixaxis and whilst it looks like a dualshock there are some major differences. Firstly it's bluetooth. Each PS3 can connect upto 7 controllers. The controller is charged using the included usb A to mini B cable. The controller can be charged from any USB 2.0 port on any device, handy for charging the controller from the laptop on the coffee table while the ps3 sits under the telly.

The main difference though is the motion sensing capabilities of the controller, the controller detects rotational and accelerational forces along the x, y and z planes enabling full motion sensing. Whilst it's no wiimote it may have potential if flow is anything to go by. Hopefully it will be used sparsely by developers where it can actually add something to the game.

The PS3 does support proper force feedback and the logitech g25 and dfp wheels are compatible.

What's this Folding thing all about - can the ps3 really cure cancer?

With grateful thanks to Batfin for setting this up and mailing me the following details.


Folding@home is a distributed computing project that uses computers to simulate the complex process of protein folding - thereby aiding scientific understanding of the folding process and related diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, cystic fibrosis and many cancers. Each simulation is so complicated it can take a single PC up to 30 years to complete, but by sharing the work between thousands of computers across the internet, the Folding@home program makes this crucial area of research much more feasible.

Your Playstation 3 has the ability to assist in this research when it's idle, all you have to do is load the folding@home program and it'll download what's called a work unit for it to process, each unit taking approximately 8 hours to complete.

To join the dvdforums team simply load the folding@home program, press triangle, then go to identity > join existing team and type in 134029.


Go on then how do I change the hard drive?

All you need is 1 x 2.5" SATA 5400 rpm drive (any size) and 1 x Small Phillips scredriver. Full instuctions are in the manual and there are dozens of vids on youtube if you search for PS3 Hard Drive Upgrade, such as
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BkM9wiZePfs&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BkM9wiZePfs&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Just make sure you get a 2.5" SATA 5400 rpm drive. Also worth doing a backup of the PS3 before you swap out the drive unless it's a new machine. To do a backup go to the system tools on the xmb and select backup utility. You'll need a fairly big usb drive to do a complete system backup, alternatively simply copy the game saves to a pen drive and copy them back to the new drive afterwards.

Tell me about the PS3 experience then

The PS3 uses the cross media bar (xmb) familiar to PSP users. Whilst this may initially a little daunting it becomes second nature within minutes. Each main section appears on a horizontal bar with sub menus for each appearing on the vertical as you pass over that section.

If you insert a CD, DVD or BluRay it will appear under the Music or Video tab. Relevant items in the correct folder structure will also appear under Photo, Music or Video tab when you insert a CF, SD or USB memory stick.


The main headings on the XMB are

User

This is where you manage users, each user can register multiple accounts on the PS Network (sony's answer to live). Each PSN account can either be a Master account or a sub account, only one Master account per user. So for example You can creat a local user on the PS3, use this to create a Master account on the PSN. Create a sub account for kids/housemates etc. Sub accounts can be allowed to spend the money in the master account wallet and can have restrictions placed on the rating of dlc.

You can also create a second account on the PS3 and create a Master PSN account for the US or Honk Kong store. You can then easily jump to that account queue up some downloads, jump back to your main account and either play some games or watch a movie etc.

Settings

This is where you'll set up your system, all the usual options are buried in here. There are settings for video and audio outputs, networks setup, playback options etc etc. The ps3 will by default pretty much work out most of this for you but if you want to adjust something this is where it's done.

Photo/Music/Video

This is where you'll store you're media. Items downloaded from the stores puts itself in the right place and items copied from external sources end up here.

Hang on, where are my files? The ps3 isn't finding any music on my usb stick/cf/sd card?

For some reason the PS3 will only find items if they are in the right folder structure. When you stick a memory stick in unless the music is in either a root \MUSIC folder it wont see it, likewise for \PHOTO and \VIDEO. PSP users who have their media in \PSP\MUSIC ect are looked after as those folder structures also work.

If your music is not in that format fear not, thankfully you can simply press the triangle button and "view all" to manually view the contents of the disk for any relevant media.

So what media formats does it support?

MPEG-1
MPEG-2 (PS, TS)
MPEG-4 SP
MPEG-4 AVC/H.264.
ATRAC
AAC
MP3
WAV
JPEG
GIF
PNG
TIFF
BMP
SACD (60GB only)
AVI/DIVX

Is it multiregion?

PS3 games are multiregion, although some games that use dedicated servers for online play restrict you to the disk region. So if you've imported Motorstorm and your mate has a UK copy you won't be able to play online with them.

PS3 Games with dedicated servers

R:FOM
Motorstorm

DVD is region locked

Bluray has region coding but a lot of studios are releasing with no region locking. Not proper multiregion but still handy. Check out this link for a guide to what is and what isn't locked.

anyway back to the XMB, next up

Game

This is where all downloadable demos/games and any games in the drive appear. A rather nice touch is that highlighting a game here changes the background to a wallpaper from that game and the icon changes to a small animation from the game. No real use but it's just neat. Simply click on a game to fire it up. This is also where you can delete saves etc. This is also where your trophy collection lives.

Is it backwards compatible?

Sort of, the 60GB PS3 now uses software emulation for BC meaning that only a percentage of games work properly under the ps3. The BC list is here On putting a ps2 game into the ps3 you are prompted to create a virtual memory card. Sony have talked about a PS2 memory card apadapter to allow you to move existing saves from memory cards to the ps3 but as far as I know this item isn't actually available anywhere yet?

The 40GB is not backwards compatible, dont buy one if you want to play PS2 games on it.

Network

Home of the web browser, information board, folding at home and the remote play sections.

Web Browser

A proper real one with plug ins and everything. This is the first browser I've actually been able to use on a tv without going blind. Just plug in any usb, wireless or bluetooth keyboard and mouse for even easier use.

Remote Play

Thanks to tobiasboon for the following info

Media streaming, both video and audio, either over local connection or 'net. Obviously uses the PS3's codec set, not the PSP's.
Ability to power up and power down the PS3 remotely.
Ability to download PS1 games from the PS Store and share save games between the two systems.
Ability to stream PS1 games "live" over the wireless connection to the PSP. Locally or over 'net.
Ability to stream a very small number of PS3/PSN games over the wireless connection to the PSP, for example Lair. Again, locally or over 'net.
Apparently some games will be able to use the PSP as a controller and be able to use the screen. For example F1 Championship was previewed using the PSP as a rear view mirror. Still waiting for this feature to be made use of.
Access to the vast majority of XMB to allow remote starting of downloads from the PS Store, friends lists, messaging, etc.


PSN

Like the xbox marketplace the PS store is where you go to download trailers, demos and games. Prices are displayed in real money as opposed to points and at least initially content seems much better priced than the MS equivalent. The store is a little clunky at the moment and the layout leaves a lot to be desired but meh they'll get there.

Can I setup accounts for US/HK/JPN stores?

You certainly can, like so

Create a new user on the PS3 for the country who's store you want to access.
Log in as the user in step one.
Register for the PSN Store under the network menu.

Thats it dead easy, you'll need to supply a valid address for the region you are registering for, I suspect there'll be a lot of Beverley Hills 90210 PS3's. Just use google to find any address and use that. Content downloaded from any region is available to all users, you can even queue up your downloads from one account and then switch to another account and it will keep downloading them in the background

Can I buy stuff from the US/HK/JPN stores?

Not quite so simple, some Mastercards will allow small deposits without checking your address for most other cards you're out of luck. Allegedly you can use a service like wirecard and use that from any region although I've not tried it so can't vouch for them. Thanks to nsb for pointing out entropay which is apparently more reliable than wirecard and allows you to purchase stuff from around the globe with a UK credit/debit card.

Friends

Very similar to on live simply fire off a friends request and that user then gets added to your friends list, you can easily see who's online, who's playing what and fire up a voice chat or send them a message. There's also a message box here where all your received messages go.

Whats this "Home" thing all about

Released now, Home brings together many of the existing xmb functions in a virtual online world. Users will have a private home that they can decorate with their achievments, listen to music or watch video in. There will also be public places for shopping, chatting and arranging gaming sessions. There's a nice preview over at ign.

Is it worth importing a PS3? Any issues to think about?

The PS3 has an internal multivoltage power supply so all you need is a UK kettle lead to plug it in.

Any imported PS3's will play:

PS3 Games from all regions
Bluray's only from the same region as the imported machine (unless the disc is region free)
DVD's only from the same region as the imported machine (unless the disc is region free)
If the imported machine supports backwards compatibility then PS2 games only from that region.
You will still be able to create multiple accounts and access the various online stores from around the world.

So what else can you do with it then

Well one of the main uses sony are pushing is to install Linux on it. For any one that want's to give that a go there's a guide over at eurogamer (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=70611&page=2).

Another thing you can do is up the HDD size, unlike MS's piddly 20Gb the PS3 ships with a 60Gb HDD but if thats not enough for you you can easily replace it with any 2.5" internal SATA drive, guide here.

Can I change the wallpaper on the xmb

Yep, you can select an image for the wallpaper, personally I prefer the wavy lines.

What headsets can I use with the PS3?

Any Bluetooth headset should work on the PS3, additionally any USB headset that worked on the PS2 should also work on the PS3. There is a post on headset reliability here : clicky (http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board/message?board.id=ps3&thread.id=898874)

are they ever releasing anything for it?

Drake's Fortune, Ratchet and Clank and GT5P, what more do you want?


Recommended Settings[/b

[B]Video Settings

This section of the XrossMediaBar is where you'll find all of the necessary settings for video content, DVD, Blu-ray, or otherwise. You can find the "Video Settings" sub-category just below "System Update" and "Game Settings." From within this menu there are several settings categories that affect Blu-ray performance, check out our recommended settings below:

"BD Internet Connection"

Online integration is one of the most distinguishing characteristics of Blu-ray technology. It enables users to get all of the latest firmware updates for their player, which ensures that playback performance is as seamless as possible. The PlayStation 3 is unique in that it utilizes WiFi technology, whereas most standalone Blu-ray solutions require an Ethernet cable connection. The WiFi of the PlayStation allows you to get updates and content for your player as soon as they become available, as such, it is important that your PS3's Blu-ray internet access is always turned on. Of the two options provided for the "BD Internet Connection," select "Allow." This tells your player to establish an internet connection every time a Blu-ray disc is being played.

Recommended Setting: "Allow"

"BD/DVD Cinema Conversion"

This option pertains primarily to how your PS3 displays DVD content recorded in interlace format. This issue only rarely applies to Blu-ray content, primarily supplemental content with lesser encodings or homemade Blu-ray discs. To ensure that you get the best possible viewing experience, even with standard-definition supplemental content, leave this selected to "Automatic," which enables your player to automatically detect and match the best conversion method for the source material.

Recommended Setting: "Automatic"

"BD/DVD Upscaler"

Like the "Cinema Conversion" category, this setting is only applicable to Blu-ray content that is encoded in standard definition (non-HD extras). There are a number of options given to users: "Double Scale," "Normal," "Full Screen," and "Off." The "Double Scale" option doubles the resolutions of the source video, which sounds more beneficial than it really is. Double scaling your video can, in some cases, give you a softer image than what you started with. "Full Screen" is also an undesirable choice because it scales your image in a way that stretches it beyond its natural dimensions. We recommend going with "Normal," which scales your image to the maximum proportional resolution supported by your TV.

Recommended Setting: "Normal"

"BD/DVD Video Output Format (HDMI)"

This setting allows you to specify the color space of the video output from your PS3, either RGB or Y Pb/Cb Pr/Cr. Typically, video game content is encoded in sRGB and video is broken down into Y Pb/Cb Pr/Cr. The PlayStation 3 can automatically detect which color mode is best for the source video, but some users have noted problems with the auto detection, such as discoloration. Additionally, RGB and Y Pb/Cb Pr/Cr output can be affected by the type of display you are using, whether it be a PC monitor or TV. For those using a PC monitor we recommend "RGB," while HDTV owners should stick to "Y Pb/Cb Pr/Cr" for Blu-ray content.

Recommended Setting: "RGB" for PC monitors, "Y Pb/Cb Pr/Cr" for TVs.

"BD 1080p 24 Hz Output (HDMI)"

This setting pertains to how your PlayStation 3 outputs video refresh rate for Blu-ray content. For the most fluid, cleanest picture, Blu-ray delivers video at their native 24 frames-per-second, which eliminates common playback issues at higher framerates, such as 60 Hz and 50 Hz. Most current-generation TVs support 24 Hz playback, but if you are unsure whether or not your display is capable of displaying at the native framerate, select "Automatic." This allows your PlayStation 3 to automatically detect the framerate and display rate of your setup.

Recommended Setting: "Automatic"

"BD/DVD Dynamic Range Control"

One problem with high-end digital audio outputs is that they are impractical for low-volume usage. If you are trying to watch a film and your volume isn't cranked, hearing the film's dialogue can be incredibly difficult; the words get lost in the soundtrack and effects. To prevent this, Sony incorporated an automated feature that would boost dialogue, however, we've noticed that this feature can increase dialogue beyond favorable levels at times. To ensure that you get pristine audio performance, we recommend keeping this feature set to "Off."

Recommended Setting: "Off"

"BD/DVD Audio Output Format (HDMI)"

This setting, for whatever reason, is still filed under "Video Settings" on the XMB menu, despite the fact that it has nothing to do with video performance. In any case, this option allows users to specify how audio signals are delivered to their audio system when connected via HDMI. For this option, you want to select "Linear PCM," as it is capable of delivering the most diverse audio formats. Linear PCM enables the PS3 to deliver DolbyTrue HD, whereas bitstream can only output TrueHD signals in a DTS encoding.

Recommended Setting: "Linear PCM"

"BD/DVD Audio Output Format (Optical Digital)"

While Linear PCM is the better choice for use with HDMI connections, Bitstream codecs are better suited for optical cable connections with the PS3. Linear PCM codecs can only be delivered as stereo signals by the PlayStation 3. The better option of the two is Bitstream for optical connections, as it can deliver Dolby Digital Plus, DTS surround, and Dolby Digital. Unfortunately, optical connections in either case cannot deliver Dolby TrueHD.

Recommended Setting: "Bitstream"

Display Settings

You can find "Display Settings" just below "Printer Settings" toward the bottom of the main "Settings" queue. This area of settings determines the overall video output settings for your PlayStation 3. Most of the settings in this subsection are largely subjective. Output resolutions will vary with each television, and user-preference determines the screensaver. The two main settings we need to view and tweak are "RGB Full Range (HDMI)" and "Y Pb/Cb Pr/Cr Super-White (HDMI)."

RGB Full Range (HDMI)

This setting pertains to how wide the RGB color output of your PlayStation 3 is. There are two options within this setting "Limited" or "Full." "Limited" delivers a more subdued, albeit more naturalistic, color range, while "Full" produces both brighter and richer tones on both ends of the spectrum. As a result of the "Full" spectrum, many intermediate shades get lost in the mix. On the other hand, some users may find that "Full" is better for their particular TV, however, we found that in most cases "Limited" produced the best results.

Recommended Setting: "Limited"

Y Pb/Cb Pr/Cr Super-White (HDMI)

The "Super-White" feature on the PS3 is designed to present deeper black levels and brighter whites during video playback with supported TVs. This feature only works with displays that accept Y Pb/Cb Pr/Cr signals via HDMI. If you are unsure about whether or not your display accepts Y Pb/Cb Pr/Cr via HDMI, don't fret! You can leave this feature set to "On" in any case. If your TV supports it, then you get the full benefit. If not, it has no negative impact on your picture.

Recommended Setting: "On"

Sound Settings

The final subsection in our guide is the "Sound Settings" section. You can find the "Sound Settings" just below "Display Settings" on the XMB menu. This, as you may have guessed, is where you can configure your system's audio output.

Audio Output Settings This section is fairly automated, simply select the method by which you have your PS3 connected to your sound system and select "Automatic." This allows the system to automatically detect what settings are supported by your audio system and enables them. Review the codecs, making sure none are left out, and save.

Overview

Video Settings

* BD Internet: "Allow"
* BD/DVD Cinema Conversion: "Automatic"
* BD/DVD Upscaler: "Normal"
* BD/DVD Video Output Format (HDMI): "Y Pb/Cb Pr/Cr" for TVs, "RGB" for PC Monitors
* BD 1080p 24Hz Output: "Automatic"
* BD/DVD Dynamic Range Control: "Off"
* BD/DVD Audio Output Format (HDMI): "Linear PCM"
* BD/DVD Audio Output Format (Optical Digital): "Bitstream"

Display Settings

* RGB Full Range (HDMI): "Limited"
* Y Pb/Cb Pr/Cr Super-White (HDMI): "On"

Sound Settings

* Audio Output: Varies/Automatic



Firmware updates

Available either through the PSN or from here (http://uk.playstation.com/help-support/ps3/system-software/download/)

To update from a USB pendrive/memory card the file has to go into the following folder

PS3\UPDATE (caps sensitive) where PS3 is a folder at the root of the drive.



FIRMWARE Summaries - Full details can he found here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_3_System_Software)

1.8 Firmware update

The newly released 1.8 firmware adds some very nice features.

PS1/PS2 Upscaling upto 1080p (720p and 1080i are covered too).
Note selecting prog scan mode in ps2 games stop them upscaling, don't use prog scan and make sure that upscaling is on under the xmb settings menu to make those ps2 classics look all shiny and new. Works over component and hdmi.

DVD upscaling upto 1080p (inc 720p and 1080i as above), only works over hdmi.

Bluray playback at 720p, handy for those that prefer 720p to 1080i.

Full range hdmi, opens up the full 0-255 colour range. Be careful with this one, some sets don't support it and you may end up with crushed blacks and losing a load of detail. If your set does support it you should get much darker blacks and a deeper look to the colours. Give it a go and see what you think.

Superwhite, again a set dependent feature. As the name suggests it makes the whites brighter.

Media Streaming from any dlna3 device (that includes windows), allows you to stream music, video and pictures from any compliant server. Apparently twonkyvisions worth checking out.

Remote Play, now you can control your ps3 from cyberspace. You'll need the latest psp firmware out now.

Add a printer to the ps3 (seriously) apparently you can now add certain epson printers to the ps3. Useful.
more to be added soon

1.9 Firmware update

Custom Wallpaper - Should you feel the need to you can now adorn your ps3 with your own wallpaper, stick to something dark as whites make the xmb vanish.
Up sample cd playback quality, another move towards making it a very serious bit of AV kit.
Was 24fps bluray playback a new feature in 1.9 or has it always done that?

2.0/2.1 Firmware Update

The ps3 is now a fully functional profile 1.1 bluray deck. It's still not decoding DTS-HD MA or bitstreaming yet though. You can now "enhance" the ps3 with themes. Yet another cd playback option "bitstream type 3" whatever the hell that is.

2.3 Firmware Update

and there's the DTS-HD MA working

2.4 Firmware update

Nope that didn't work

2.4.1 Firmware Update

Achievments well trophies in sony speak but you get the idea. Also in game xmb support.

2.4.2 Firmware Update

Quality Improvements

2.4.3 Firmware Update

Japanese stuff only

2.5.0

HD Blutooth headsets,
Controller auto turn off
In Game Screenshots
Flash support in browser
Battery status for controllers on screen
Recovery Mode added

2.5.1

Demo stuff only

2.5.2

Quality / Bug fix

2.5.3

Full screen flash playback

2.6.0

Bug fixes
DIVX 3.11 codec added
Photo Gallery

2.7.0

Playback of PSP video on PS3
Copy and paste in browser
Text Chat
Friend menu tweaks

2.7.6

Quality improvements
Trophies appear immediately after restore

[Fatbloke]

Here's the guide I followed for the PS3 upgrade - including the system restore bit : Clicky (http://community.whathifi.com/forums/t/124767.aspx)

[Jim989]

Cheers Fatbloke. It looks simple enough but looks like it is going to take 2hrs to do the backup and another 2hrs to restore :eek:
Afterwards, I might then copy over some photos to the PS3 and try out that photo viewer. Why they did not put in more DLNA support for the apps they make beats the hell outta me :brickwall

[jester]

I also found it annoying that the photo app does not support DLNA. :shrug:

[Adge]

What better way to start a new thread than with a look at the PSP GO..

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z4S3TKDx1IY&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z4S3TKDx1IY&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

This is the accidentally uploaded qore episode.

[jester]

Nice looking piece of kit but is there really a market for this?

[KRW]

A handheld games machine that you have to go online to buy games for.

Its not a DS beater, I reckon.

Perhaps, possibly, if they added a mobile phone to it, it might be a goer.

[Mr Majestik]

If it's keenly priced i might be intrested.

But only because the new Pixel Junk: Monsters is coming to psp.

[KRW]

Actually, if it turns out to be easily cracked and downloadable games can be had for nowt, it'll probably sell like mad. It would have to be cheaper than the ones that come with UMD drive? I bought FF Tactics yesterday for £2.99. Can't see me getting that on download for cheaper.

[T4V]

It'll be the same case as with PS1 downloads on PSN, 3-4 times more than you can buy on UMD (if you shop around) plus NO TRADEIN VALUE!

[fivebyfive]

NO TRADEIN VALUE!

developers and publishers really want this (which includes selling or lending the game to friends) claiming is "piracy" :oh-hum: but they don't have much a problem with films

at the minute they are slowly pushing the idea until game consoles will be d/l only

[anephric]

I think it looks as uncomfortable as a particularly grim case of thrush.

Plus it's still got a crap analogue nipple, except this time it looks like they've placed it in an even more stupid position.

[Damage Inc]

can anyone tell me if the PS3 supports MKV files? I was trying to play one back yesterday using Tversity as a media server but it kept telling me the data was corrupted.

[ShakeyJake]

It doesn't support them directly but you can stream them Playstation Media Server with no problems.

[Adge]

Or use mkv2vob to convert them if you are unable to stream.

[jester]

In my experience you do not even need to transcode most MKV's these days, a simple remux with tsmuxer will suffice.

[anephric]

mkv2vob doesn't usually transcode (unless it's a 1080p file), it just remuxes.

[LordoftheDance]

What does transcode mean? What does remux mean?

Thanks!

[jester]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcoding

Whereas a remux using something like tsmuxer allows you to combine existing streams (video / audio / subs etc) or remove them and change the container that they are held in. I change all mine to .m2ts or .ts using tsmuxer. Cannot remember the last time I had to transcode.

[Damage Inc]

Cheers guys. I tried Playstation Media Server for my mac and for whatever reason it couldn't find the PS3 which is on the same LAN - the diagnostics were useless so I gave up trying.

I'll try out mkv2vob.

[Adge]

For the mac try medialink, I use it an it's excellent... if you problem is not seeing the PS3 though it's more likely firewalls on your mac or router rather than any file format.. I had to open some ports on the Mac to get mine going.

[Roberto]

I do like the look of the PSP Go. Althrough if i wanted to play my UMD games i'm stuffed so have to keep 2 handheld consoles from Sony. :ho-hum:

I'll only be buying it if they fix all the problems with the screen over any of the normal PSP's.

[ShakeyJake]

I'd have a PSP Go at £100 but I'm sure they'll want £130-150+ for it. But then I don't have an old PSP and a collection of UMDs to play.

[Roberto]

£150 is fine with me, i have the original phat PSP's and i love it. cost me £175 on release day and so far still has the best screen of all the PSP's. It will have to beat that for me to get it. If it doesn't then i'll just upgrade my memory and carry on using my old one.

[ShakeyJake]

I think it would be hard to justify a £150 price tag seeing as a slim and lite can be had for £100 with a UMD drive. But it is Sony and I'm sure they'll find a way. 16gb of flash memory must cost at least £50.... right?

[LordoftheDance]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcoding

Whereas a remux using something like tsmuxer allows you to combine existing streams (video / audio / subs etc) or remove them and change the container that they are held in. I change all mine to .m2ts or .ts using tsmuxer. Cannot remember the last time I had to transcode.

Thank you. :)

[TonyG]

Wipeout HD is getting some new DLC soon...

PS3's downloadable antigrav racer, WipEout HD, is getting its first bit of DLC. Attendees at E3 will be able to try out "Fury," the first expansion pack for the game. Included in the upcoming pack are 8 new tracks, 13 new ships and 3 new game modes. A patch will also add new trophies, a "re-styled front-end" and improved multiplayer functionality.

One of the new modes being reintroduced to WipEout HD is the "Eliminator" mode, last seen in PSP's Pulse. This combat-centric mode gives favor to killing instead of racing. It's one of our favorite modes from WipEout Pulse, so we're glad to see it make a comeback.

In addition, the upcoming Fury DLC will also add "Zone Battle," a multiplayer twist on the classic "Zone" concept. In this new mode, players will be able to acquire zone pads and choose between a speed or health boost. Opponents will be able to drop zone barriers, a deadlier WipEout interpretation of Mario Kart's banana peel. Finally, the "Detonator" mode has players shooting at mines while trying to try through 14 different stages.

[Roberto]

Thing with Wipeout that it look all fun and pretty but i just can't get a handle on the controls. Therefore buying it would be a waste for me

[fivebyfive]

will the UK be getting PSN prepaid cards (like Japan has) as I rather use prepaid cards than credit/debit cards

[Mr M0by]

I think there's a very good chance of that given the PSP Go being UMD-less.

[Jim989]

will the UK be getting PSN prepaid cards (like Japan has) as I rather use prepaid cards than credit/debit cards

Not yet, according to Sony Belgium..
We know that the demand is huge, but it's a difficult task to release them. Europe has many countries, and each of them has their own VAT, you know. We won't say it will never come, but you can't expect it in the near future.
Source: http://www.9lives.be/index.php/gamepublishers/sony-computer-entertainment-europe/nieuws/sony-belgium-voorlopig-geen-psn-cards-in-europa

[James45]

What does transcode mean? What does remux mean?
Thanks!

My thoughts exactly. Why do people need to know this, great media box the PS3:suspect:

[fivebyfive]

Not yet, according to Sony Belgium..

Source: http://www.9lives.be/index.php/gamepublishers/sony-computer-entertainment-europe/nieuws/sony-belgium-voorlopig-geen-psn-cards-in-europa

thats a shame, thanks for the link

[Adge]

My PS3 320 Gb internal sata drive had a courruption (the PS3 kept trying to repair and getting stuck at 48%) so I had to pull in out and put in my old 40 Gb drive. I don't think there is anything physically wrong with the drive I just think there is corrupt data on it.

I've taken my 2.5 inch sata drive into work where one of our intel techies has a usb connection kit for sata and I re-formated it as a single partition, windows would not let me do it as FAT32 so I had to do it as NTFS (I can't download swiss knife and put it on my work PC as they have a strict software policy here).

My question is when I put it back into the PS3 will it see it as a non PS3 format drive and just format it or will it not recognise the drive as it is NTFS?

[jester]

My thoughts exactly. Why do people need to know this, great media box the PS3:suspect:

It certainly is :thumbs: about the only common media file it will not play natively is the MKV file and that is only the container, a very quick remux changes that :D

[James45]

don't know if it's any different with playstation media server but when I first tried to stream video via tversity the PS3 insists on buffering several megs first meaning a hefty wait. Useless to me. Plus it doesn't do Video_TS, I'm going with a Acer Revo instead as a client.

[jester]

I always found tversity to be a bag of bolts especially compared to PS3MS.

My PS3 plays video TS files just fine :shrug:

[James45]

waaaaaaa? explain please.

[jester]

PS3MS Playstation 3 Media Server trancodes very well on the fly, very good at playing/transcoding MKV over DLNA to the PS3.

Pretty sure my PS3 also plays back transport stream (TS) files natively.

[Jim989]

Received the 2 external HD last night. Backup took about 1.5hrs. The disk swap took 5mins, it was sooo easy. Considering I had read about people having problems with the screws, I had absolutely no problem in undoing them. So started up and managed to restore system instead of restore from backup. Ooops, Bye Bye accounts! So I ended up having to create a new brand new account on the PS3 to run the restore from backup, that took about 2 hours. When it completed, all my old accounts came back thankfully :)

Pain free experience, and would have been a little less stressful if I had not deleted the whole system :lol:

[T4V]

The Store has been updated at last:

Final Fantasy VII £7.99 (PSP/PS3) a bit much for a PS1 game even if its a 3 disc'er. I'll stick with my original copy.
Trash Panic £3.99
GTI Club+ Car Pack 1 £2.39 (there is a 101mb patch as well for it)
Tokobots £11.99 (PSP)
Fight Night Round 4 Demo

[Mr M0by]

re: FFVII

If it is possible to play the game on both PSP & PS3 from the one purchase (which I think it is) & transfer saved games between the two (which I think you can't!) then I'm more likely to get it.

[Adge]

Downloading trash panic now... I could never get online with GTI+ club, maybe the patch has sorted their netcode as it worked fine on outrun...

[KRW]

Am sorely tempted with FF7, I never did get to the end of disc 1, and probably would now - I have very fond memories of spending a whole Saturday playing it. £7.99 is a fair-ish price for something as large and deep, I think, regardless of how old. How big is the download? *chomps at bit*

[ShakeyJake]

I was looking at FF7 due to loving it on the PS1, but then I saw the trailer and it really hasn't dated well graphically. I'll wait til the remake I think.

[Mr M0by]

Downloading trash panic now... I could never get online with GTI+ club, maybe the patch has sorted their netcode as it worked fine on outrun...

Bomb Tag can be incredibly good fun, particularly when you're chasing the trophy for "Tag the same player 5 times (or whatever it actually is) in the one game", a little less fun when you're on the receiving end of such whoring. :lol:

[Mr M0by]

I'll wait til the remake I think.

Surely if true, any rumour that has been running for as long as this one has, we'd have heard something official by now? It's the same with MGS4 for 360 but Raiden Rising looks to have put that one aside once and for all.

[ShakeyJake]

They've remade every other FF game. I'm sure 7 will be made sooner or later on some platform or other.

[KRW]

I think its one that doesnt really need fancy graphics, as far as I remember, it was all about levelling up, random fights and the storyline.

[ShakeyJake]

The way I remember the game is about how good it looked. The opening scene in Midgaar (or whatever it was called) absolutely blew me away at the time.

[Jim989]

Downloading trash panic now...

Give us all a short review. From what I have seen it looked about meh, but for £4 it might be worth a shot?

[Adge]

If only I could get on it Jim, sadly the public humiliation of idiots that is Big Brother has begun and my wife is watching it.....

[nsb]

I think Trash Panic is suppose to be pretty good, the Giantbomb lot were looking forward to it at least.

[anephric]

I'm downloading it now. It looks like exactly the sort of thing the other half loves.

[KRW]

The way I remember the game is about how good it looked. The opening scene in Midgaar (or whatever it was called) absolutely blew me away at the time.

I've not blown it up to big telly level's, but on a PSP it still looks pretty sweet. Took me all of 5 seconds to get back into it, as well.

[Fatbloke]

I've tried to copy some of my HD home movies to the ps3 now that it has a bigger hd in it. However, once copied over they all appear in a single folder "OTHER". Is there a way to further organize these files directly on the ps3?

[LordoftheDance]

I've tried to copy some of my HD home movies to the ps3 now that it has a bigger hd in it. However, once copied over they all appear in a single folder "OTHER". Is there a way to further organize these files directly on the ps3?

Press triangle, go to 'Information' and change the folder name in there.

Once in the main menu, press square, and you can order by folder name/month/all/etc. :)

[Fatbloke]

Hmm - I've just tried that...

If I hover on the OTHER folder and select 'Information', I just get the size of the folder and the number of files. No option to rename it.

Actually - scratch that. Once I choose 'order by album' I can then select the folder and rename it.

Cheers :thumbs:

[Marv]

Is'nt trash panic just Tettis with trash instead of blocks?

Download inferno pool last night quite good for a quick blast online.

[jester]

Anyone else intending to get EyePet?

[Sandeep C.]

Are there any good deals going on the PS3 at the moment? Any imminent price drops or anything? Finally looking at picking one up...

[jester]

Also interested, need a second one!

[Marv]

Nope no price drops, Sony were asked that at E3.

[S_K_N]

Yeah I looked at Eyepet, its the sort of thing I pick up for the nieces to entertain them. From owning a few of the games for the PS2 eyetoy I think the experience is initially appealing but short lived and gimmicky once you realise theres not that much to it. I can see the appeal of Nintendogs but I don't quite see where this is going yet, I also think Sony will really, really, really go to town with this on the DLC front because its made for addons, games, toys, clothes etc.

The technology interests me though, I remember seeing those cards that the man in the E3 video used for the trampoline, Bubble Blower and X-Ray previewed on the Gadget Show.

Are there any good deals going on the PS3 at the moment? Any imminent price drops or anything? Finally looking at picking one up...

I picked up the Killzone 2 80GB package along with the Official Sony Blue Ray starter kit which includes Official HDMI Cable, Official Blue Ray remote and Casino Royale BD for £286 from Gamestation around March of this year.

The remote and HDMI cable cost around £15 each if your lucky/shop around and Casino Royale probably costs another £8-9 and the cheapest you can get Killzone 2 for new I believe is around £25 - so I thought it was a decent deal, certainly don't regret buying one. I can't stand Gamestation though.

[RESSEH]

Apoligies if this has been answered in a previous thread but i want to make my PS3 my main media hub. Can anyone recommend a decent HDD for it or will any 500GB 5400 one be ok?

Also is it possible to have a file structure to my moves eg :

Videos -> TV Shows -> Chuck-> Season 1

[anephric]

Crikey, Trash Panic's tough.

[Roberto]

Also interested, need a second one!I have three PS3's :D

[T4V]

Apoligies if this has been answered in a previous thread but i want to make my PS3 my main media hub. Can anyone recommend a decent HDD for it or will any 500GB 5400 one be ok?
I dunno about any but I got this one (http://www.ebuyer.com/product/150515) and its £15 less than how much I paid for it now.

[Fatbloke]

I have three PS3's :D

Can you share profiles (and therefore downloaded games / saved games etc) between PS3s on the same network?

[Adge]

Crikey, Trash Panic's tough.

Yes, it's annoying too, sometimes things smash sometimes they don't and if they don't it's game over.. A little too random for my liking.

[T4V]

Yeah I thought it would be better than it is, its almost if I'm missing some of the controls as the game doesn't last very long at all, where are the fire/water bits?

[jester]

Roberto, do you have problems assigning controllers to individual PS3's? Do they clash?

[jester]

Apoligies if this has been answered in a previous thread but i want to make my PS3 my main media hub. Can anyone recommend a decent HDD for it or will any 500GB 5400 one be ok?

Also is it possible to have a file structure to my moves eg :

Videos -> TV Shows -> Chuck-> Season 1

If you are going to store your media on an internal (upgraded) HDD then its a slightly different proposition to streaming or plug-in USB drives. You do not have control over directory structure as its encrypted. You can place media into "albums" and sort them that way.

You will need to copy media onto it either by copying from a DLNA streaming device or using a plug-in USB drive.

The best way is to get a big fat USB HDD and use that, later you can put the same drive into a PC running PS3 Media Server or Twonky etc and stream video etc to the PS3.

[Marv]

anyone download worms?

[LordoftheDance]

Yeah I thought it would be better than it is, its almost if I'm missing some of the controls as the game doesn't last very long at all, where are the fire/water bits?

The water bits come in level 3 onwards.

Bigger buildings and ships come in level 4 I think. That was the furthest I got.

When a lit match or bunsen burner appears, press L1 to 'hold' it. Then wait til your trash can is almost full (shake the controller to fill the gaps), and press L1 again to set fire to the lot. Don't forget to close the lid to heat it up quicker.

The only thing I don't get is when you get the little black coins to the little fella, the big fella gives you a 'special item.'

More often than not, I get a battery. How is that special? It does **** all and just takes up space. :shrug:

[Jim989]

Apoligies if this has been answered in a previous thread but i want to make my PS3 my main media hub. Can anyone recommend a decent HDD for it or will any 500GB 5400 one be ok?

Also is it possible to have a file structure to my moves eg :

Videos -> TV Shows -> Chuck-> Season 1

Sounds to me that you actually want a DLNA compliant NAS drive. Then you can sort it how you want and just use the PS3 to playback on the TV. You will then have the benefit of being able to access that media from your PC aswell. Makes for a nice setup than going for internal or USB. The main downside is that in-game music only works from mp3 files that are on the internal drive :brickwall But if only takes a min to copy over an album from the NAS.

[T4V]

It is a pain about the lack of proper folder support within the PS3's file structure, its time for a decent firmware update methinks.

[RESSEH]

i wish i went for a NAS drive instead of my Apple Time Capsule :(

[jester]

It is a pain about the lack of proper folder support within the PS3's file structure, its time for a decent firmware update methinks.

I would have thought thats unlikely as the drive is heavily encrypted. I thnk the best way to start you off is to get a big fat USB drive.

The problem I always found with streaming DLNA NAS drives is that once you start heavily loading them with files the indexing starts to get sluggish.

You can later put the USB drive inside a PC acting as a DLNA server.

[Roberto]

Can you share profiles (and therefore downloaded games / saved games etc) between PS3s on the same network?
i was joking dude:

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uh1jB4hVJRg&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uh1jB4hVJRg&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

[Matt KB]

What's the URL for the DVDF PS3 clan site?

[Jim989]

What's the URL for the DVDF PS3 clan site?

this? (http://www.thedvdforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=566743) :shrug:

[AKPiggott]

Is there anyway to stop the music when a demo or game is highlighted on the dashboard?

I had the WWE LoW demo downloaded a while back and by default, it was the opening icon that was highlighted. The continuous Hulk Hogan music got on my nerves.

[Matt KB]

this? (http://www.thedvdforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=566743) :shrug:

No that's the link to this thread....

[LordoftheDance]

Vidzone out today. :)

[AKPiggott]

What time?

EDIT: Apparently about 4:00 to 5:00 PM.

Lots of info here (http://community.eu.playstation.com/playstationeu/board/message?board.id=417&thread.id=42625&view=by_date_ascending&page=1). :thumbs:

[Adge]

plus apparently this stuff

PS3 Games:

Gunstar Heroes
Bomberman
Wolfenstein 3D

PS3 Demos:

Overlord II
Ghostbusters

PS3 Game DLC:

Burnout Paradise: Big Surf Island
LittleBigPlanet: Team ICO Costumes and Stickers
Killzone 2: Flash and Thunder Pack
Motorstorm PR: Livery Pack

PS3 Applications:

Vidzone

Rock Band:

Iron Maiden: Aces High (live) - Flight 666 (2009)
Iron Maiden: 2 Minutes to Midnight - Powerslave (1984)
Iron Maiden: The Trooper - Piece of Mind (1983)
Iron Maiden: Wasted Years - Somewhere in Time (1986)
Iron Maiden: The Number of the Beast - The Number of the Beast (1982)
Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills - The Number of the Beast (1982)
Iron Maiden: Can I Play With Madness - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988)
Iron Maiden: The Clairvoyant - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988)
Iron Maiden: Powerslave - Powerslave (1984)
Iron Maiden: Fear of the Dark (live) - Flight 666 (2009)
Iron Maiden: Hallowed Be Thy Name (live) - Flight 666 (2009)
Iron Maiden: Iron Maiden (live) - Flight 666 (2009)

Singstar:

Bizarre Inc - “I’m Gonna Get You”
Boys Like Girls - “Hero/Heroine”
Bryan Rice - “No Promises”
Depeche Mode - “Precious”
Evanescence - “Lithium”
Gorillaz - “Dare”
Kemopetrol - “Child Is My Name”
Liars - “Freak Out”
Lostprophets - “Can’t Catch Tomorrow”
Madness - “Our House”
Madness - “House Of Fun”
Madness - “Baggy Trousers”
Madness - “Driving In My Car”
Madness - “My Girl”
P!nk - “Last To Know”
P!nk - “Nobody Knows”
Pet Shop Boys - “Opportunities”
Pet Shop Boys - “Rent”
Phoenix - “Consolation Prizes”
Ray Charles - “Hit The Road Jack”
Roxette Ballads song pack: “It Must Have Been Love”, “Listen To Your Heart”, “Fading Like A Flower”, “Spending My Time”, “Run To You”

[LordoftheDance]

Bomberman! :clap:

[clockity]

What's the URL for the DVDF PS3 clan site?

It's http://thedvdf.co.uk/ but it appears to be down today

[msm13579]

What's the URL for the DVDF PS3 clan site?

http://www.thedvdf.co.uk/


got the link from here:
http://www.dvdf-xbox.co.uk/links.htm

i think it's right unless the site has moved? seems to be down or something?

edit - beaten to it :)

[Adge]

Word from Cinq at the clan facebook page.

"Might need toi do some scrounging later, I think we missed the hosting renewal on the site and it's down at the moment. Watch this space"

Charity fun run ahoy?

[T4V]

The store has been updated, good thing too as Xbox owners have had The Island since this morning.

[jester]

Its not a race (is it?) :nuts:

[AKPiggott]

Bah. No GB Demo. :|

[Adge]

Or bomberman

[TonyG]

Downloaded & installed VidZone (23Mb), took about 30 seconds, but on running it, i'm getting a fatal error message (Due to high demand, please try again later). Typical Sony. :|

[AKPiggott]

I got it working after ten minutes of trying. It's really quite fab, the streaming works well. Just make sure you don't accidentally click on an ad or you have the tedious process of loading up again.

[T4V]

Vidzone worked for me but I was probably one of the first to try it, the vids came up pretty quickly and only buffered once. The only down side I could see is they are shown 4:3 even if they are widescreen.

[TonyG]

Have given up trying. If this is what it's like during the afternoon, what's it gonna be like in the evening & weekends? :|

[AKPiggott]

I fully expected the 4:3 for older vids as most TV music channels either crop or letterbox them.

[LordoftheDance]

Vidzone doesn't work for me at all. Keep getting error when checking country code. Yet I'm in the UK using a UK account on a UK PS3. :shrug:

[fivebyfive]

just getting lots of different errors, I'm guessing high demand being placed on it or its just broken

[AKPiggott]

Yep, it's gone now. :|

Take my word for it that it works fine when it works.

[KRW]

Vidzone doesn't work for me at all. Keep getting error when checking country code. Yet I'm in the UK using a UK account on a UK PS3. :shrug:

Yeah, I got that as well. Great start.

[ShakeyJake]

I got to a EULA on Vidzone, but then it died on some catalogue update

[AKPiggott]

I just got back into it and it's fine again. Weird.

[LordoftheDance]

Yay! It's working now, and rather spiffing it is too. :thumbs:

[AKPiggott]

My only real complaint (apart from connectivity probs) is how clumsy it is to search for songs in the database. There's also loads of empty folders on there, which is annoying.

[KRW]

It's awesome when it works and the sound quality is surprisingly good. Very clumsy way of getting around the menus though, but will probably be ok when I get used to it. Fantsastic!

[ShakeyJake]

Vidzone is pretty cool. The videos start instantly and quality's surprisingly good. It's a shame the PS3 remote can't control it and for some reason widescreen videos don't fill up the whole of my TV.

The last time I watched music videos was when all you got was MTV and The Box so a lot of them were new to me :D

[fivebyfive]

working fine now, the menus are not great

[AKPiggott]

It's been consistently fine the last 2 hours or so. Hopefully they were just teething problems earlier.

[TonyG]

Ooooh, Vidzone is fantastic now that it's working. Sound quality is excellent & the SD quality is better than expected. Very fast & the search facility is ok too. Only gripe is no proper full-sceen option and the lack of certain artists.

Currently enjoying my White Lies, Girls Aloud, Nine Inch Nails, Tears for Fears, Sugababes & Editors playlist. :D

[SIMON ADEBISI]

I there any way to play realplayer files on a ps3 using a usb stick?

[Adge]

Vidzone, excellent stuff, very fast and easy to use.. No stuttering and very good audio quality.

[LordoftheDance]

Shame they didn't have the first 2 I looked for though!

Britney Spears - Toxic (they seem to have all her other famous ones)
Christina Aguilera - Genie in a Bottle (they have it, but it's a Spanish version I think?)

[AKPiggott]

I think there's still tonnes of songs they've got to add yet.

[KRW]

I was excited to see Lou Reed was on there, but its not his best stuff. :(

[T4V]

What with Lordof with Christina Aguilera and TonyG with the Sugababes, I'm beginning to think some PS3 owners have... a certain taste in music. :cuckoo:

[Jim989]

I am glad the overall comments I just read are pretty positive, unlike me :)

Here is my long review...
Finally got home and installed VidZone, and it is pretty good. The install took 5mins, then it took me 30s to work out that its under music section. For some odd reason I was checking network and videos. Ah well, so I kick it off and have this bar thingy moving across the screen. After 1min of watching the bar I get the EULA, now I started it with the BR remote. So I press down and nothing happens. So I am sat there thinking that my PS3 has frozen and I now have problems, so I start pressing everything on the remote in a frantic OMG-WTF did this not go through the 6 month QA SCEE demands moment to find out that pressing the PS button shows me the XMB. Yes, my PS3 did not freeze! However it does show that this piece of software fails to work with the remote, so I have to leave a controller discharging to watch a music video - Thank you Sony!
So anyway, controller aside I go check out some videos. The sound quality is ok and the picture is ok. Well the picture is ok if you do not have a widescreen TV. The new dawn of HD has taken a step backwards, apparently.. This Is Living! Next, it was a case of lets see whats in the menus. Ooh artist search, thats handy. Now there is a video search, oops I pressed X and its only got an A there. 5mins later I am still watching the circle go round and round with the message "searching". Ok, lets cancel. Er, where is the cancel? Button O failed aswell as the inherent mashing of buttons on the controller and still nothing. So I had to quit it from the XMB. I am kind and like to give things a 2nd, 3rd and sometimes (when I wanna get knocked back) a 4th chance. Click the X to start it up on the controller (I am missing my remote now) and get the VidZone text. Lets just say that it was quicker to boot this computer, connect to a wireless network, load firefox and read the BBC news headlines BEFORE VidZone got to the menu. However, the streaming is pretty fast. I only once got a stutter.

Im in a bad mood, its been a **** day, so Ill give it marks to show my anger.
Concept : 9/10
Controller options : 0/10
Menus : 7/10
Sound : 7/10
Video : 7/10
Content : 8/10 ( Good range )
Overall : 6/10
Main comment : Could try harder.

If they implement video scaling (I dont care if it looks pixalated, I dont want my TV looking like a 4:3 set) and implement the Remote then it would be a pretty good app. As it stands, its you-tube in an app that discharges a controllers battery.

--Edit--
Good selection of Dire Straits, hope they add more. Popped into the comedy Genre and Michael Jackson showed :lol: :)
No Pink Floyd and Muse shows but nothing in the folder, just empty. So this negates any positives I had from the Michael experience!

[KRW]

Oh no, old videos in their correct aspect ratio, please, but do sort out the letterboxed vids. You do, sort of get used to the controls after a bit - I was pressing X to play at first, out of habit, but when you start making playlists, pressing X and then using the shoulder buttons to flip though makes more sense.

[Fawlty]

Shock horror... Console has actual factual useful free service that is actually entertaining, not useless and has unobtrusive ads

And people still find reasons to complain about it...

If I was paying for this it would be poor and I would request some upgrades etc... as it is its free and its ok nice selection of vids.. seemed quite responsive has some nice setup playlists etc etc...

As for responsiveness and boot up times I am guessing first night is ALWAYS going to be the biggest demand night (all those nerds like me desperate to see the latest toys).. my guess is on a normal night after a few days to calm down it;'ll be perfectly usable

It surprises me when people complain about free addons.. I mean look at HOME... totally free.. I hate it but it didnt cost me a penny so I dont feel the need to whinge on and on about it.

[bobbetts]

After the initial frustrations of getting into the application, all seems to be working well. Very impressed with the selection of vids, especially those from James.

[Jim989]

Well even free things can suck and if they want to build a better system they need negative aswell as positive comments. I have done coding for a game addon for free and alot of players have enjoyed the benefit of this. I actually encourage them to complain about it so I know which direction it should go. Without direction you could make something that is pointless and wont be used. Nobody wins in this situation.

However they appear to be working on the 4:3/16:9 aspect ratio according to blog entries and they will also put a manual at vidzoneps3.com which is a step in the right direction.

You must remember that they hope to gain from the links, banners, ads that show up. If they do not make it better then people will not use it, they lose money and it will close down. Who wins then?

[the_daddy]

Good app, reasonable selection of vids, awful interface.

[Fatbloke]

Just downloading Overlord II demo. It's a bigger one though so no time to play it till tomorrow :(

[AKPiggott]

I read somewhere last night that a widescreen fix is on its way (apparently).

Muse shows but nothing in the folder..

I noticed this right away, as I love the band and their videos. I imagine the fact that the folder is there implies they will be added soon.

..and what happened to that Ghostbusters demo? :|

[LordoftheDance]

I've read lots of people saying it has an awful interface, but I think it's good.

The only things I'd like to see looked at (which won't be) ar:

1) Get rid of the advertising
2) Selection of HD music videos
3) Widescreen compatibility
4) Better audio quality on some of the songs - Eurythmics 'Sweet Dreams' is awfully hissy
5) There's a slight delay between the audio and video sometimes - I see the singer singing 1/4 second before the audio kicks in - little annoying.

Otherwise, great app. :thumbs:

[mjb1975]

I had a play for about 30 mins or so last night - loved the fact that I could select the Metallica playlist right from the homepage menu and those vids were great quality (esp. Whiskey In The Jar) but then got playing with the search. Few things missing - only a couple of live White Stripes vids but loads of Maximo Park (for example). Didn't look up Muse - but that'd be a great addition.

Excellent video quality IMO. Stand And Deliver by Adam And The Ants has probably never looked better! :D

My brother was most displeased to see no A-Ha. ;)

Also very much liked the 'chart' and 'latest' quick links as I very rarely hear new stuff these days and it's nice and easy to flick through some charty stuff.

Still, good promise and, assuming more content is added over the course of time, I was very impressed.

[ShakeyJake]

Just been playing Bomberman Ultra and it's exactly the same game as Bomberman Live. I, probably foolishly, assumed it was a new game.

[jester]

Fired it up with the intention of spending a few minutes playing with it.

Several hours later I am used to the now intuitive interface and have several playlists for me and the missus. :thumbs:

Near instantaneous video playback, freeview video quality, unobtrusive ads and a real interactive MTV feel to it and its free :thumbs: :thumbs: Whats not to like, really?

[AKPiggott]

Once you've got your playlists setup, it's a real gem. It's just the artist search thing that's balls. Also searching by genre just brings you a complete list of songs, which is naff. The whole thing needs more filters and keyboard support. Hell, they should've just copied the interface from the SingStore.

[Fawlty]

I've read lots of people saying it has an awful interface, but I think it's good.

The only things I'd like to see looked at (which won't be) ar:

1) Get rid of the advertising
2) Selection of HD music videos
3) Widescreen compatibility
4) Better audio quality on some of the songs - Eurythmics 'Sweet Dreams' is awfully hissy
5) There's a slight delay between the audio and video sometimes - I see the singer singing 1/4 second before the audio kicks in - little annoying.

Otherwise, great app. :thumbs:

Some of these requests are a little unrealistic...

1) How do you think this is paid for!
2) HD? - bandwidth costs woul dbe too high at server end etc
3) Yes good one I'd like to see this also
4) original recording videos may not have remasters available
5) Not spotted this one

As for Jim989.. I agree positive/negative feedback is important for any project.. but it is always better if negative feedback is not couched in terms that make it sound whiny or ungrateful... and your review did read a little petulant (as you said, you had a bad day). And I wasn't just referring to your response.. other forums I read have had some much much worse whiny nonsense.

[jester]

All in all its a good initial effort and I am sure that it will be tweaked along the way.

[T4V]

Its buffering a lot for me today but that could as easily be AOHELL over Vidzone. So far my fave classic vid is UNKLE and Be There, while my fave new vid in Royksopp's The Girl and the Robot, which you'll like if you like Robyn as she's the girl.

[Captain_Howdy666]

Just make sure you don't accidentally click on an ad or you have the tedious process of loading up again.

This is why I doubt I'll be using it again. It's really ******* annoying.

[mjb1975]

Did that pretty much immediately but make sure I double check what I've got highlighted before hitting X!!

[Thucydides]

Had a play with this last night and thought that as a freebie it was great.

[jester]

That was my only bugbear really... they need to add a confirm button before navigating away from the app.

[Mr M0by]

There doesn't appear to be any EMI stuff on their at the moment, Coldplay, Pink Floyd, Lily Allen, Pet Shop Boys etc etc but there's still a fair amount of stuff on music on offer. I happily spent an hour watching some Calvin Harris, Frankmusik, Editors, Killers, La Roux tracks. With Virgin Media I have access to a similar Music OnDemand service but it doesn't have a create_a_playlist feature that VidZone has, so it's quite useful for my 3yr old!

[KRW]

Yeah, I noticed the lack of some very prominent artists. Couldn't see any Iron Maiden, and David Hasselhof, but no David Bowie.

[msm13579]

vidzone has cake!!! the Short Skirt/Long Jacket video is ace :D

[Captain_Howdy666]

I'm shocked that they have a listing for HBlockx (or however the **** it's spelt). There's no videos yet but just to see them there is kind of impressive.

FWIW (and for those of you who care) they are a really **** early '90s German metal band.

No Aerosmith :mad: They're on a Sony label FFS!

[Adge]

More stuff to come on vidzone

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=217423


To get the Blu-ray remote working for VidZone: Go to Settings/Accessory Settings/Reassign Controllers - set the remote to controller 1.

VidZone has launched in UK, Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, Australia. We hope to launch in more territories soon. We'll be rolling VidZone out to more territories over the next 12 months.

Uncensored videos won't be released on VidZone as it's a 16+ service.

We'll be adding new videos every week and we're in negotiations with all record labels.

You can randomise your VidZone Now Playing list by hitting [triangle] on the menu item so see the options.

Full screen will come.

The quality will depend on your internet connection - there are three different qualities offered. They're not HD, but almost.

[Captain_Howdy666]

You can't randomize the now playing list. The option is there to rearrange the order of the playlist, but you can't set it to actually play all tracks randomly. The remote kind of works but the play/pause button doesn't.

Will they announce what they've added when they update it?

I've gone through every artist and created one big playlist with everything in it that I like, and then from there I've created more specific lists. I'd be nice to be told what's been added so I don't have to go though the whole artist list whenever there's an update.

I's also like to see an option where you can add all songs by a specific artist to a playlist. Currently, if you press triangle on a highlighted artist you can only add all songs to the now playing list.

[bobbetts]

I's also like to see an option where you can add all songs by a specific artist to a playlist. Currently, if you press triangle on a highlighted artist you can only add all songs to the now playing list.

To do this, make sure your now play list is empty, then add the songs. It is then possible to create a new playlist from the now playing list.

[LordoftheDance]

There are loads of popular artists still missing - would be nice to see some additions in the future. Was showing it to my girlfriend who was quite impressed until she saw there was no Blue, Blur, Roxette....

[Captain_Howdy666]

To do this, make sure your now play list is empty, then add the songs. It is then possible to create a new playlist from the now playing list.

Thanks for that :)

[Mr Majestik]

no Blue,....

You make it sound like a bad thing.




(All those acts are on EMI who haven't signed up yet.)

[James45]

Is Bomberman Ultra US store only?

[LordoftheDance]

You make it sound like a bad thing.


Bugger. That song I like is by 5ive, not Blue. :(

[AKPiggott]

Five are on there, I think. I'm sure I saw them.

[Dave B]

VidZone is a load of crap, don't see the point at all. Rubbish interface and far, far to slow to do anything.

Overlord II is fantastic though, defo on my wishlist.

Dave

[LordoftheDance]

Five are on there, I think. I'm sure I saw them.

Cool - that may be why I didn't find the song I was looking for - I was looking for Blue! The one that goes "get on up, when you're down - take a good look around...."

[AKPiggott]

Haven't a clue what you're talking about, sorry. :suspect:

[S_K_N]

The one that goes "get on up, when you're down - take a good look around...."

...."I know its not much, but its OK, well keep on moving on anyway" :lol:

I see the point about the interface not being the slickest and it being slow but I was pretty impressed with Vidzone, having said that I'd heard nothing about it and had no expectations. Only thing I thought was pretty lame was the banner ads for games - clicked on a few expecting trailers for the games and it kicked me to the PSN store, fair enough though its obviously more about music.

The streaming/quality was fine imo.

[jester]

VidZone is a load of crap, don't see the point at all. Rubbish interface and far, far to slow to do anything.

Overlord II is fantastic though, defo on my wishlist.

Dave

The interface once you are used to it is intuitive and works well and as for the speed you may well need a decent ;) broadband connection because for me its near instantaneous and very much an interactive MTV style experience.

As for the point(?) why not? The missus who loves music video channels is all over this.

[PlexShaw]

Cool - that may be why I didn't find the song I was looking for - I was looking for Blue! The one that goes "get on up, when you're down - take a good look around...."
Try the SingStar SingStore instead. You'll find what you're looking for in there. :thumbs:

[Mr Majestik]

Personally i'm liking the Vidzone. Early days yet but once they iron out a few quirks and add to the number of acts it will be really good.

How long before we get Trailer zone or even TV/Movie zone?

[jester]

You know I was thinking the same thing the other day, no reason other than licencing that this could not be applied to other video content.

If the iplayer could be made to work in a similar vein then I would take the aeriel off the roof and get rid of my tv licence.

[Mr Majestik]

If the iplayer could be made to work in a similar vein then I would take the aeriel off the roof and get rid of my tv licence.

You not tried the special ps3 iplayer?

[jester]

Yup, althouh I do not think the interface is as good as it could be, preferred the old version.

[smst]

I've just got a PS3 in the last couple of weeks and am impressed. I asked some questions in a previous thread about video playback, and I'm glad I sorted out a MediaTomb installation as I'm now able to use the PS3 for HD videos, although it's not perfect.

I'm watching h264 (in an MPG container) and seeking is terrible: going to a specific time is hit and miss as to whether it will work at all (although seeking to an earlier time, then a slightly later one, and so on will usually work), and the fast-forward options are rubbish (a paltry 1.5x, or a 10x which doesn't work). While the PS3 remembers where I was when I stopped a video sometimes, it doesn't always do so. I think it just forgets when I turn the power off. Is that expected to change at any point?

I love being able to download demos and have a few ready to try out. No RE5 though -- do I need a US account to find that?

Finally, is there a movie trailer service for the PS3? I see I can get a few fairly old trailers from the Playstation Store, or I can stream fewer newer trailers through Home (that seems like a lot of hassle though). What I really want is to be able to download 720p trailers in the background to watch later. Should I just use the browser to find them online? Will the PS3 play MOV files from the Apple website?

[Adge]

Are you trying to watch h264 over wi-fi?

[home_bas]

Anyone using Linux on this? I have a new 80gb PS3 and put Ubunto 8.10 on it. I can't return to PS3 OS with the boot-game-os (or whatever it is) command - it fails and keeps me at the linux prompt!

Only way I've found of getting out is resetting the PRAM by switching it on and off at the back and holding down reset for 2 beeps. :(

[Fatbloke]

smst - the RE5 demo works on UK PS3s. That and the trailers you seek can be found in the Play Station Network (PSN). Access PSN from the main menu - its to the right of the "Game" column.

If you want to download anything that costs (i.e. is not free) then you'll need to have set up CC details on your PSN account.

[jester]

smst - hope you are using a wired connection rather than wireless for streaming HD videos and also try PS3 Media Server if you have not already done so. Its the king of free DLNA media servers.

[smst]

Are you trying to watch h264 over wi-fi?
I am. There's to be bandwidth enough to play the video; do you think there isn't enough to seek easily? I've got a spare ethernet port I can try later.

smst - the RE5 demo works on UK PS3s. That and the trailers you seek can be found in the Play Station Network (PSN). Access PSN from the main menu - its to the right of the "Game" column.

If you want to download anything that costs (i.e. is not free) then you'll need to have set up CC details on your PSN account.
Thanks for the advice. I did try to the PSN Store but the trailers are pretty old and there aren't many of them. RE5 demo was nowhere to be seen!

[jester]

www.youtube.com/xl

setup for consoles etc..,

[TonyG]

Regarding PS3 Media Server, recently when watching MKV files that I know are in 5.1 DD, are now only playing in vanilla stereo. Seems random what does/doesn't work.

Any ideas?

[jester]

Inspect the MKV with tsmuxer, is the first audio tract in in the file the one you want to play? In fact while at it just remux it into an m2ts file. Chances are it will work, if not then pass it through mkv2vob instead.

[smst]

smst - hope you are using a wired connection rather than wireless for streaming HD videos
I'm not (but I will try it later). Will that fix my seeking problems?

and also try PS3 Media Server if you have not already done so. Its the king of free DLNA media servers.
Thanks, but I don't think it will run on my NAS, which is a LinkStation Pro (with a whole 128MB of RAM!) running Debian. MediaTomb is one of the few I found which can run on it -- and apparently it supports thumbnails for the PS3, although I haven't got that working yet.

[jester]

I think you may end up running into some of the problems I ran into.

I tried a few standalone NAS boxes before settling on the HP Mediavault upgraded to 2x500gb drives. They are pretty good (initially) but as you fill them up the on chip linux systems/lack or RAM starts to cripple them.

Remember the PS3 has a 10/100/1000 speed NIC and I noticed a real difference in seek times when I upgraded my network to full gigabit speed.

[Fever Dawg]

I've literally just bought a PS3 and I'm a bit concerned about something.

Put it on started playing a game etc etc

Everything fine ... then after about 10/15 minutes the fan kicks in and it's been on ever since (about 30 mins). It's really loud and it surely can't be right? No way could I watch a film or anything put it that way.
Checked through the manual for the troubleshooting and it says the fan will kick in when it's overheating or in a confined space but it isn't.

Help/advice please!

[anephric]

There was a problem with some launch (60gb) PS3s doing that. I take it it's not an old model? If not, it's faulty. The fan's on all the time, btw, it's just very quiet. If it's in high RPM (which you can force by hard power-off then holding down the power button and eject when you turn it back on) then summat's definitely wrong.

[Fever Dawg]

It's a 40gb and I got it 2nd hand off ebay. :(

Should I return it or is it something that can be easily sorted?

[Fatbloke]

Could just be it needs a clean inside - perhaps the vent is full of cat hairs!

I'm assuming you are using it in a ventilated area, not sitting on top of a V+ box or other such hot plate.

If it's nothing obvious, I'd think about returning it :(

[Fever Dawg]

Are they easy to clean though?

I think I'm going to return it because it's definitley not because of it's positioning. I just have it on a stand in front of the TV (TV is on the wall). I've tried it in it's vertical & horizontal positions and it still does the same thing.

It's okay while I'm looking through the menu's. I put GTA4 in and after about 15 mins my front room sounds like an aircraft hangar.

The annoying thing is that everything seems to work fine apart from a stupid thing like that.

Really ****** off :(

[ShakeyJake]

There is some combination of button presses that blows all the crap out the vents. Can't remember what it is but google probably can.

[smst]

I think you may end up running into some of the problems I ran into.

I tried a few standalone NAS boxes before settling on the HP Mediavault upgraded to 2x500gb drives. They are pretty good (initially) but as you fill them up the on chip linux systems/lack or RAM starts to cripple them.

Remember the PS3 has a 10/100/1000 speed NIC and I noticed a real difference in seek times when I upgraded my network to full gigabit speed.
Thanks to all who suggested the wireless was the culprit: I plugged in an Ethernet cable last night and things are much better. While MKV-remuxed-to-MPG were playing okay before but not seeking, I can now seek in them. Some HD trailers which were MOV remuxed to MP4 and which skipped before are now playing flawlessly. Hooray!

[home_bas]

Anyone using Linux on this? I have a new 80gb PS3 and put Ubunto 8.10 on it. I can't return to PS3 OS with the boot-game-os (or whatever it is) command - it fails and keeps me at the linux prompt!

Only way I've found of getting out is resetting the PRAM by switching it on and off at the back and holding down reset for 2 beeps. :(

Solved - it's ps3-boot-game-os now... :doh:

Upgraded to 9.04 last night and WPA wi-fi has now kicked in, woo. Just need to sort out the nasty overscan borders and it's done.

[Fever Dawg]

Just had the hoover on the vents and I think it's worked :nuts:

Been playing GTA4 for an hour and the fan hasn't kicked in like it did last night after about 15 mins.

Do you think it should be okay now?

[anephric]

There is some combination of button presses that blows all the crap out the vents. Can't remember what it is but google probably can.

As mentioned above, hard turn off (the power switch on the back). When turning on again hold down the eject and power buttons on the front for a few seconds and it'll go into megafan mode for about 30 secs to chuck all the dust out of the machine. Worth doing if you've had playback probs as the blu drive is very sensitive to dust.

[Fatbloke]

Just had the hoover on the vents and I think it's worked :nuts:

Been playing GTA4 for an hour and the fan hasn't kicked in like it did last night after about 15 mins.

Do you think it should be okay now?

Certainly sounds promising :) I'd do the mega-fan thing too, just to be safe.

[T4V]

Heads up for those who've yet to but Super Stardust yet. I've read that from Thursday for 1 week it'll be £1.50

I hope the upgrade packs will be cheap too.

[jester]

Be carefull with the forced fan trick, I have heard reports that it can cause problems.

[welshmatt]

My PS3 has the same issues that FD's had. I mainly use it for watching videos off the hard drive and the fan never comes on, but whenever I have the occasional game of FIFA its like an aircraft taking off.

I'll try the hoover method later, and the forced trick if it still has issues. Its in a semi-enclosed cabinet but there are a good few inches of space on the sides and behind which I thought would be sufficient ventilation.

[smst]

While the PS3 remembers where I was when I stopped a video sometimes, it doesn't always do so. I think it just forgets when I turn the power off. Is that expected to change at any point?
Yesterday I tried copying videos to the PS3 (navigating to a video on my media server then using the triangle button to bring up a menu with a "copy" option). The PS3 remembers where I got to in these locally-stored videos even after a power cycle. That's great, and for now I'll just copy videos before watching them, but does anybody know why it can't keep that information for videos on the media server across a power cycle?

[Fever Dawg]

Be carefull with the forced fan trick, I have heard reports that it can cause problems.

Yeah, I never bothered with that as the hoover seems to have done the trick. I've played on it for most of the weekend and it's been fine. :)

[fivebyfive]

new firmware update very soon,

the update is once again
The playback quality of some PLAYSTATION 3 format software has been improved.

didn't notice any difference last time

[TonyG]

Early word from other forums is that the browser & in-game XMB are running quicker after the latest update.

[unrealnils]

what the hell is a psp go

[James45]

the new one

[Mr Majestik]

the new one

You mean the new over priced one that no one will buy.

[KRW]

The disposable one you can't buy games in the shops for. I think it's a winner, and they could have charged 3 or 4 times as much for it.

[unrealnils]

Looks like a pirates best friend !

[the_daddy]

Been playing Flower for the last couple of day's and must say it quite something, although the trophies are proving to be a bitch to get hold of. Done the end credit's three times and still haven't unlocked the stars trophy.

[S_K_N]

Looks like a pirates best friend !

The same as the original one then eh? :p

I picked up a PSP recently and started buying up games for it over the past few weeks. Most I paid for a game was God of War at £9 although I do have my eye on Monster Hunter and FF Crisis Core which were £9 and £12 respectively. The dozen or so other games I picked up were ranging from £3-5 either in new or good second hand condition so im dumbfounded why people would even bother to pirate this machine now....other than pure ******* cheapness of course. :thumbs:

[T4V]

God of War at £9
£4 in Grimsby Asda last week ;)

[S_K_N]

hehe, can't win them all I guess :lol:

further proves my point though, £4 for what is universally regarded as the best game on the PSP. I'll take a look in Asda over the weekend if thats the sort of deals they have on. :thumbs:

[T4V]

Well I put the branch down as Asda have this knack of having mythical bargains that I never see, nor the staff have heard of when you ask them.

[fivebyfive]

Early word from other forums is that the browser & in-game XMB are running quicker after the latest update.

:shrug: its running just the same (the same thing was said on the last update iirc)

[S_K_N]

Well I put the branch down as Asda have this knack of having mythical bargains that I never see, nor the staff have heard of when you ask them.

I shop online mostly anyway so miss alot of these instore deals but the prob in my local branch is that they put the most unsuited people on the entertainment desk i.e the blue rinse grannie brigade. Also none of their staff have any idea in regards to new releases which are commonly absent from shelves on release day. Went in to buy Bioshock on release day way back and the guy said to me sorry can't sell you it, the price hasn't been put through the till yet. :notworthy

Last time I was in I saw they had Fuel for sub £25 which im tempted by but generally I find their prices are all over the place. :shrug:

[Jim989]

:shrug: its running just the same (the same thing was said on the last update iirc)

Not updated myself, but read somewhere that text chat has increased from 32 char to 64.

[TonyG]

:shrug: its running just the same (the same thing was said on the last update iirc)

Ahhh, so just the Sony fanboys clutching at imaginary straws again then. ;)

[fivebyfive]

have not used the text chat but the XMB & browser seems no different in speed

[KRW]

The same as the original one then eh? :p

I picked up a PSP recently and started buying up games for it over the past few weeks. Most I paid for a game was God of War at £9 although I do have my eye on Monster Hunter and FF Crisis Core which were £9 and £12 respectively. The dozen or so other games I picked up were ranging from £3-5 either in new or good second hand condition so im dumbfounded why people would even bother to pirate this machine now....other than pure ******* cheapness of course. :thumbs:

FF CC can be had in the four for £20 in Blockbusters if you can find it. Finding another three to go with it was my problem but its something like £7.95 on its own. I've been raiding cash convertors also :D

I'm def doing FF7 first though, which at £7.99 on the PSN is the most i've paid for a game yet and it works excellently on a PSP.

[Fatbloke]

Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! What Did I Do to Deserve This? (http://uk.psp.ign.com/articles/981/981375p1.html)

Odd name for a new 'retro' looking PSP game. It's been released on the US PSN, not sure about over here yet though.

[S_K_N]

FF CC can be had in the four for £20 in Blockbusters if you can find it. Finding another three to go with it was my problem but its something like £7.95 on its own. I've been raiding cash convertors also :D

I'm def doing FF7 first though, which at £7.99 on the PSN is the most i've paid for a game yet and it works excellently on a PSP.

I used to be a fan of Cash Converters until they started sending me rubbish, got 2 american Gamecube games sent to me, think it was Mario Tennis and Starfox Assault sold as UK PAL one of which had a crack in the centre circle. Getting a response from the store was something of a chore and when I contacted the website CS they said its because they are individual franchises and offered to contact them but yes their CS can be terrible at times. They also sold me 2 pirated GBA carts, lost a Blue GBA SP in the post and sent me a copy of Burnout Revenge on 360 which was scratched to **** so I haven't used them since that carry on.

Cheers for the info on Blockbusters I'll pop in next week as theres a local branch 5 mins down the road.

I fancy Monster Hunter Freedom Unite but to me it looks like something of a niche game/very japanese market type of game so im kind of hoping it will drop in price although £17 seems reasonable for a game which has 500+ hours playtime.

Whats the story with FF7 do you download it to your PS3 then play it over wireless or can it be downloaded to PSP?

[T4V]

Whats the story with FF7 do you download it to your PS3 then play it over wireless or can it be downloaded to PSP?
Download it to the PS3 and upload it to the PSP, although it may be possible to download it direct to the PSP from the store. I wouldn't though as you may not be able to get it back from there to the PS3.

[ShakeyJake]

Can you stop that "now playing" banner from popping up in Vidzone? It keeps covering up MJ's crazy feet.

[KRW]

I used to be a fan of Cash Converters until they started sending me rubbish, got 2 american Gamecube games sent to me, think it was Mario Tennis and Starfox Assault sold as UK PAL one of which had a crack in the centre circle. Getting a response from the store was something of a chore and when I contacted the website CS they said its because they are individual franchises and offered to contact them but yes their CS can be terrible at times. They also sold me 2 pirated GBA carts, lost a Blue GBA SP in the post and sent me a copy of Burnout Revenge on 360 which was scratched to **** so I haven't used them since that carry on.

Whats the story with FF7 do you download it to your PS3 then play it over wireless or can it be downloaded to PSP?

Aye, I only go into CC as you can have a look at stuff before you buy.

You can download FF7 directly to the PSP - it doesnt make any difference which one, as you can just download it again from PSN if you want it on PS3, so long as, obviously, you use the same account on both.

You can't swap saves, though, so whichever system you start a game on, your going to be stuck with! It probably looks quite poor on a big telly anyway, but looks great on a PSP size screen.

[S_K_N]

ah, I'll go for FF7 at some point as its one of the few genuine modern day classics. Don't know why they didn't just release it as a UMD as well tbh god knows everyone loves it and it would have been a huge seller. :?:

[KRW]

Yeah, its odd, but they're probably seeing how many people will buy it as its the only way to buy games for its new PSP Go. At £7.99, its pricey for a PS1 game but given how long it'll last its a bargain.

I first played it years ago, and at the time, RPG was all new...I'm getting a lot more out of it this time. Just got Yuffie to join my party, FTW!! I've clocked up 10 hours just fiddling with it at lunch time and odd tube sessions.

The one thing that stops it being perfect is sometimes it seems an age between save points unless your on the world map - very annoying on the train. :lol:

[anephric]

Just noticed Super Stardust HD is about £1.50 now promo price. Crazy not to.

[Fatbloke]

downloading now. £1.59!

[T4V]

Just noticed Super Stardust HD is about £1.50 now promo price. Crazy not to.
I posted about that on Monday! :wave:

[Masanevre]

just looking at my PS3 now, had it for 2 years just feel I hope we havent seen the best of it yet for games. For me personally so far its Drake Fortune Uncharted and Little Big Planet that made it for me. But still dont fell content I hope the sequel to Drake Fortune is as good as the first installment. I just feel with some of the other games like Motorstorm 2, Resistance 2 and Killzone 2 are good but didnt feel special.

[KRW]

I think its still in its infancy, tbh. That Trico thing and GT5 look *amazing*.

[anephric]

I posted about that on Monday! :wave:

Hence the qualifier "Just noticed". Get over yourself.

[T4V]

Hence you really should be reading this thread more often and more thoroughly. :razz:

[Fatbloke]

AH - Asteroids heaven !

[anephric]

^ Look, he's happy. So ner.

[lettuce]

I think its still in its infancy, tbh. That Trico thing and GT5 look *amazing*.

Infancy!?, come xmas id had mine for 3 years!, its in its mid teens now at best :lol:

[rbullivant]

If anyone likes easy trophies, the Hannah Montana game takes four hours to platinum and isn't that bad

R

[TonyG]

If anyone likes easy trophies, the Hannah Montana game takes four hours to platinum and isn't that bad


:oh-hum:

I look forward to naming & shaming anyone I spot on my friends-lists that play this game. :)

[T4V]

If anyone likes easy trophies, the Hannah Montana game takes four hours to platinum and isn't that bad
For playing that game for Four hours I'd want a real platinum trophy. :wave:

[jester]

I'd want a real Hannah Montana

[S_K_N]

Had a day off today so popped into town and picked up a few PSP games one of which was Parappa the Rapper.

Absolutely perfect recreation of the PS1 game and it was dirt cheap but Jesus what did they do to the difficulty level, can't even get past the second stage and I've previously completed the game on PS1 and im pretty decent at these types of games.

If a rapping moose driving instructor tells me "again" again im gonna put my PSP through the nearest wall. :razz:

[T4V]

If a rapping moose driving instructor tells me "again" again im gonna put my PSP through the nearest wall. :razz:
Thats the main problem with handhelds, if you throw a controller its £20-30 but a PSP/DSi its £100-150! Nearly did the same with my iTouch last night!

[Fatbloke]

Just noticed Super Stardust HD is about £1.50 now promo price. Crazy not to.

My hands are a little stiff this morning, playing SSHD a lot yesterday :D Still, I've managed to reach level 3 and picked up a couple of trophies along the way. Enjoing this a lot.

[S_K_N]

Thats the main problem with handhelds, if you throw a controller its £20-30 but a PSP/DSi its £100-150! Nearly did the same with my iTouch last night!

My PSP is safe for now, managed to beat that damned moose shortly after posting and then beat the reggae flea market salesman rapping frog on my first attempt - I think the key is listening to the music rather than going by timings on the chart along the top which seem to be unreliable.

For £5 this is worth a pop btw, hard not to laugh at the songs and find yourself singing along. :thumbs:

Picked up SF:Alpha 3 Max for a fiver as well which is a well done port, my local Blockbusters was a waste of time. They had about 10 PSP games all of which were new so you guys that got Crisis Core in a 4 for £20 deal were very lucky.

[anephric]

Parappa is v. hard and very old school. IIRC, Um jammy Lammy was harder.

[AKPiggott]

I'd want a real Hannah Montana

Paedo. :p

[S_K_N]

Parappa is v. hard and very old school. IIRC, Um jammy Lammy was harder.

aye, completed it now. :p

Short lived but lots of fun, you have to wonder what was going through the devs heads when they thought I know lets have a level where your rapping against a Kung Fu onion, a moose driving instructor and a stressed chicken with its own cookery show for the privelege to take a dump - gotta love the japs I guess. :lol:

Im tempted now to move on to Parappa the Rapper 2 on my PS2 have had it sitting in my collection for years now and must have played it all of 5 minutes.

Was saying on the bargain forum thread I noticed Zavvi (http://www.thedvdforums.com/affiliatelink.php?localaffiliateid=311) are doing Monster Hunter Freedom Unite for £15.95, cheapest price on the web as far as im aware for a game which supposedly lasts a very long time and one of the games which is being heavily trialed/supported in the Ad Hoc party beta. :)

[S_K_N]

Any PSP or even camera users know some decent places for Pro Duo memory?

Decent as in not some asian site that sells you fake "Sony" memory that takes 2 weeks to arrive or some UK ebayer which sells you the same thing.

Just picked up FF7 earlier on (along with Super Stardust HD) and fancy playing it on the PSP but need a bigger stick. Any suggestions of online retailers or high street stores which do good deals on 2GB and 4GB sticks would be much appreciated. :thumbs:

Im seeing 4GB Sony Pro Duo Mark 2 for £13.50 from one of the big retailers, decent deal?

[Jim989]

Memory Stick Pro Duo 8GB £19 (http://www.thedvdforums.com/affiliatelink.php?localaffiliateid=18&url=http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_6&products_id=104242)
Memory Stick Pro Duo 4GB £11 (http://www.thedvdforums.com/affiliatelink.php?localaffiliateid=18&url=http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_6&products_id=102845)

[S_K_N]

Thanks Jim those prices are excellent. Bookmarked the site as well for future reference. :thumbs:

FF7 and Super Stardust HD are both great. Took my eyes a while to adjust to playing FF7 on a HDTV and damn have the 3d visuals and FMV aged but I bought it for the PSP so im very pleased overall.

Super Stardust HD for £1.59 or whatever they just charged me is crazy :nuts: - super addictive.

[Fozzybear]

I hadn't realised Super Stardust was so cheap until I looked in here earlier, and hadn't realised what it was either... asteroids meets Super Mario Galaxy! :D Seems pretty cool and for that price how can I refuse, so have just made my first purchase on the PS store. Might get Flower too, although I'll wait a bit before I do so I can play SSHD a bit!

Cheers for posting about that guys, good bargain! :thumbs:

[Fatbloke]

I've managed to get to third on the SS-HD friends list, nearly 9m score.

Died on the second boss :(

Who else is playing this so I can add you to my list?

[Mr M0by]

I've not played it in months but I'm happy to have my 199m or so, sit at the top of your friends score-table. ;)

PSN: Gedi

[LordoftheDance]

Yeah, I think my score's pretty high up there too... it's the only game in my collection I've got 100% trophies on.

PSN: stigdu

[jester]

Paedo. :p

Shes legal.

[Fatbloke]

I've not played it in months but I'm happy to have my 199m or so, sit at the top of your friends score-table. ;)

PSN: Gedi

:cry: and I was so happy to get below the 100,000 rating barrier too :help:

[Jim989]

:cry: and I was so happy to get below the 100,000 rating barrier too :help:

You could always add me if you do not want a challange :thumbs:

PSN: Blasteroids

[S_K_N]

:cry: and I was so happy to get below the 100,000 rating barrier too :help:

aye, I picked it up yesterday and was pleased getting to around the 40,000 mark on the leaderboard after several games. Planet 4 is where it all fell apart.

Moby's score was intimidating until I scrolled to the top of the leaderboard and checked out the first place score, im guessing that guy must have been playing the game for a full day straight to notch up a score like that. :eek:

[T4V]

Been a while since I played it (and I was never any good to be honest) but if you want to add me

<<<<<

[JohnMac]

Too hot and muggy to concentrate on games for long at the moment. I don't think I would risk leaving my PS3 on for that long in this heat.

[ShakeyJake]

I had to clear all the dust out my PC yesterday. The CPU temp dropped 20 degrees C :eek: thankfully it's stopped locking up now. I don't think any of my consoles hoover up quite as much dust.

[Fatbloke]

I've not played it in months but I'm happy to have my 199m or so, sit at the top of your friends score-table. ;)

PSN: Gedi

You're just too popular mate - your friend list is full! :lol: