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Convert DVD to PSP 3000

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CES 09: Sony Testing PSP As Multimedia Remote At CES

Sony's CES booth holds promise for the wi-fi connected multimedia hound: a PSP that acts as a software remote for networked audio streams. While experimental and not yet confirmed for release, the software looks cool.

The PSP basically acts as a cheaper software remote for your Sony brand AV receiver. It would give users the option of browsing and controlling audio on a laptop steaming to the receiver, all via the PSP. The receiver unit on the show floor was, I believe, the STR-DA6400ES — one of the pricier home theater options Sony offers.

Currently, the interface follows the Xross Media Bar standard used in recent Sony products and, while it could use some massaging, it works.

No word on when or if Sony plans to release this little software perk to the public, but we'd guess expressing your interest in getting your hands on something like this wouldn't hurt.

2009 will be a dull year for gaming

From CNET

If 2008 was the Year of Gaming, 2009 will be just the opposite. At least, that's what Lionhead Studios' Peter Molyneux said he believes in a recent interview with the BBC.

Speaking to reporters, Molyneux said he thinks 2009's upcoming game releases are "all looking a bit dry...All the triple-A titles came out this Christmas, and while there is stuff in 2010 we can look forward to, off the top of my head, I cannot think of anything next year that really excites me."

Off the top of my head, I can think of a few upcoming games that excite me: Halo 3: ODST Killzone 2, Halo Wars, BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams, and Resident Evil 5. But besides those, after looking at the upcoming release calendars for the three major consoles, as well as the Nintendo DS and Sony's PlayStation Portable, I have to agree with Molyneux.

But maybe my skepticism is rooted in the fact that 2008 was such a great year for gaming. It was the year that was headlined by a slew of great titles, such as Fable 2, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, and Grand Theft Auto IV. Most importantly, it was the year that saw gaming increase in popularity by an astounding rate.

In comparison, 2009 is shaping up to be an incredibly dull year for gaming.

Out of the hundreds of titles that will hit store shelves, did you notice that I was only able to pick a handful out of the bunch about which I'm really excited? The rest are either derivative games that will offer little value to the gamer or are unknown titles that could set a new standard or fall flat. Based on the information available for most of those games, I'm guessing the latter will be the most likely result.

But if we step away from games for a moment, what else can we really get excited about in gaming? I doubt any of the console makers will announce follow-up hardware this year, and unless Sony decides to drop the price of its PS3, don't expect any changes in the sales of the three major consoles.

We might see a DS and PSP redesign during 2009, which would make some happy, and surely one title will make its way to the PC that will captivate audiences the way Crysis did during 2008. And maybe the iPhone will play a bigger role in gaming, thanks to the App Store and its relative popularity.

But is that really all that we can look forward to? Just one year ago, we were looking down the barrel of what would become, arguably, the greatest year in gaming. It saw the Wii take off, a slew of games receive high marks from most major reviewers, and a couple titles set new standards in the market. Meanwhile, more people became gamers, and the video game industry itself made an even better case that it's the logical replacement for film as the chosen form of entertainment for millions of people across the globe.

Although 2009 will probably see an increase in gaming's popularity (largely thanks to the Wii), it's not shaping up to be a memorable year for those who are already gamers. With just a handful of possibly exciting games, no prospect of hardware changes, and a slew of derivative titles, 2009 looks as if it might be a gaming year that's best forgotten.

Obviously, I hope that won't be true. But so far, I'm looking forward to 2010.

What Apple Can Teach Nintendo and Sony

Darren Gladstone, PC World

Nintendo, Sony: Let's talk for a sec--just you and me. Look, guys, over the past couple of years, you've had a great run. Nintendo, your DS has tons of games, a wide variety of unique stuff that's a blast to play. Sony, your PSP is a gadget-lover's gaming tool, with everything from Skype to Internet-radio support (oh, yeah, and you have some cool games, as well). But unless you both do something in 2009, the iPhone and iPod Touch will soon become the top dogs in handheld gaming.

Apple, the same folks who have pretty much ignored games since I played Marathon on a Mac, came on strong in 2008--and now Nintendo and Sony must consider the iPhone a legit competitor. The proof: Apple's iPhone/iPod Touch games start at a buck (going up as high as $10), and games have flooded Apple's App Store since it opened its digital doors in July.

Nobody at either company has asked, but here's my free advice.

Nintendo: Get that new DSi to the United States, on the double! The bigger screens and the 256MB of memory are a good start, but we need to see a Wiiware-style channel where people can easily download DS games directly onto their handheld no matter where they are, stat! Also, while I'm mentioning it, set it up so that we can run said downloaded games directly from SD Card. Another quick thought: Don't try to out iPhone the iPhone. If you're going to build in MP3 functionality, maybe you should at least support the MP3 file format. (AAC only? Really?)

Sony: Admit that UMDs need to be thrown down a hole with all those Betamax machines. The UMD optical drive sucks power and doesn't deliver high-capacity storage compared with what even cheap flash memory cards now offer. You're better off bundling a streamlined system with a hard drive. Want to sell people games at a store? Sell them on Memory Sticks--as you probably should've done in the first place. Or take further advantage of the online store, which has already done a bang-up job offering PSP games as digital downloads.

The PSP has had a tough fight against the Nintendo DS since its launch. That said, as a gadget-head, I love all the connectivity features that sync up the PSP with the PlayStation 3. If Sony can create more games and applications that tether the two devices together, you might still make a case for PSP owners.

Both: The best advice I can give to both Nintendo and Sony is to remember your roots. I did a story a couple months back celebrating the indie community that has rallied around the R4 cartridge as a legitimate homebrew gaming tool. That same group is always looking for new ways to mod the PSP, as well. These dedicated coders do it simply for the love of games (or to build their resume for getting into the gaming biz). Open up the doors, and let people who want to make all sorts of apps release them into the wild. You want to vet them for quality control? Go right ahead.

Way I see it, Apple has the right idea. The code is out there for people to play with, and I'm seeing tons of cool, free, and cheap applications just waiting to be downloaded. Want a taste of what's available? Read on to learn more about the best iPhone games of 2008. 

Portable Gaming Systems: Is Nintendo or PlayStation Winning This Round?

Through Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we heard a lot about the phenomenal popularity of the Nintendo Wii this holiday season. But are shoppers also showing interest in the smaller cousins of the consoles: portable gaming systems? And who is winning that battle for consumer interest?

Sony PlayStation and Nintendo are the major players in this market - with the PSP and the DS, respectively. To get a read on how online interest in these two brands shaped up in 2008, I looked at portable gaming interest in 2008 on two major consumer electronics retailers’ websites, Best Buy (BBY) and Circuit City. Specifically, I tracked hardware and software for the PSP and DS and other legacy devices by these companies.

    * The Nintendo portable devices have consistently generated more traffic than PlayStation across these two retailers’ sites.

    * Interest in the PSP has been slipping on these sites. More than twice as many people looked at the Nintendo portable gaming products than the PSP last month.

Although this data is taken from just two (albeit large) retailers, the relative popularity of the Nintendo products is worth considering. Despite recent updates to the PlayStation product and its ability to play movies as well as games, it can’t seem to edge out the DS in terms of interest or sales. In October, Sony released a new iteration of their product, the PSP 3000, but most of the media interest that month was focused the new Nintendo DSi, despite its 2009 release date. Sales figures tell an even more dramatic story. According to NPD, the Nintendo DS broke U.S. hardware sales records, moving 1.56 million units in November alone. In the same period, the PSP sold 421,000 units.

So why is the DS outperforming the PSP? Available game titles and brand loyalty are probably factors, but that doesn’t completely explain such a large gap in both online interest and sales.

Part of the explanation may be in the appeal of the DS to new audiences of so-called “non-traditional” or “casual” gamers,which seems to be part of Nintendo’s DS marketing strategy. There have been several efforts to expand the market for the device, like adding games like Brain Age for more mature audiences and partnering with with the online handbag rental company From Bags to Riches to appeal to women.

This philosophy is also apparent on Nintendo’s site. When this post was written, the main page for the DS featured pictures of four female celebrities with the text, “See Who’s Playing Nintendo DS! America, Carrie, Liv and Lisa play, do you?”. Clicking on the image takes you to a microsite called iplayforme.com with stories and videos about how women use the device. I couldn’t find anything comparable on the PlayStation site for any particular PSP audience.