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PSP Firmware 3.95 is now available to download, which makes a few minor changes to the system software. The changes include the ability to customise the controls when playing PS1 games, and the Remote Play quitting procedure has changes slightly allowing you to exit remote play mode by either shutting down the PS3 or leaving it on. See the changelog below:
Changelog:
As we previously reported, there was no update to the PlayStation Store this week due to the store revamp currently underway. The old PlayStation Store is still accessible so you can still download something that you’ve missed. The US Store has a Promotion on Warhawk, which you can now get for only $29.99 (original price $39.99). The European Store has Gran Turismo 5: Prologue for sale and is due for release in the US in mid-April. See below for some screens of the new PlayStation Store.
The Warhawk servers have gone down for maintenance today until 4:00PM GMT, after which patch v1.3 will be available to download. To update your game, simply start Warhawk and wait for the prompt to download the patch. The patch includes various new features including two new weapons and various other changes to the game. See below for a list of changes.
Changelog:
As we previously reported, the new PlayStation Store will launch in mid-April, prior to the release of the new Warhawk booster pack, Operation: Broken Mirror. The store will come as part of PS3 Firmware 2.30, which will replace the current web-based store with a embedded store that will allow for quicker loading. As a result, the mouse pointer will be removed and navigating the store will be similar to navigating a menu (like the XMB). The standard definition version of the store will list more items than the current 3 item limit.
The content and categories for the new store will vary between the different regions, but this is mainly due to the different market needs. The new PlayStation Store will only affect the PS3 version, and not the PC version. The new store will dynamically update every time you visit, however, the background will remain the same for now. Due to regional licensing, legal logistics, language, and localization, a "global" PlayStation will not be created, so you will still have to wait until games are available in your region.
The new layout will mean that 20 items will be displayed on a page, compared to just 6 (3 for SD displays) items on the current layout. This will make finding what you want easier, and decreasing navigation time. More screenshots will be released before the final launch so look our for those.
Noel Silvia wrote on PlayStation.Blog (March 31st at 10:04 AM):
"The new Store will no longer be browser based in the same way the current Store is, making things A LOT faster and smoother; hence the required firmware update.
On the back end, this switch in systems means having to port all of the current code over to the new Store, and, since the new Store is less ‘texty’ and more ‘visual’, it also means having to create a whole bunch of new art assets just for this Store.
We appreciate everyone understanding that these things take time, and appreciate everyone’s patience. We’re just as excited about the new Store as you are!
Hope this helped to answer your question!"
Noel Silvia wrote on PlayStation.Blog (March 31st at 6:49 PM):
"That’s correct – the new Store will be mouse free, so it’ll be like clicking through a menu rather than looking at a web page.
One of the many great advantages of leaving behind an web-based Store."
Noel Silvia wrote on PlayStation.Blog (March 31st at 6:57 PM):
"You’ll see some dynamic changes each time you log in to the new Store, but the background will not change…for now.
Hope this helps answer your question!"
As you may already know, the PlayStation Store is getting a revamp in April, and will include a new interface design and better navigation. As a result, there will be no PlayStation Store updates for the next two weeks, while Sony work on improving the store. This puts the release date for the new store around middle of April. SCEE made the announcement today in an official press release, and released some photos of the new store (see below). The press release is also included below.
Screenshots:
Press Release:
This April, PLAYSTATION Store, the online content store on PLAYSTATION Network, is getting a whole new look and feel – and it’s in response to feedback from the millions of PSN registrants in the PAL region.
The revamp comes in response to a survey last year which showed that many PLAYSTATION Store users wanted a better interface and easier navigation. The new design will deliver a hugely improved navigation system, much greater scope for categorisation and a dynamic new user interface.
Content will be suspended for two weeks while the improvements are carried out but users can look forward to a special update in mid-April.
There will be no weekly content updates between now and the re-launch, although users can still download content from the back catalogue, such as Warhawk and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue.
The PLAYSTATION Store revamp will not affect PLAYSTATION Network accounts or the virtual wallet system.
Firmware 2.20 was released last week, and it seems that Sony has tweaked some code that is causing problems with streaming MPEG-4 videos. Usually, Firmware updates are released to fix bugs and errors with the software, but it seems Sony has managed to do a u-turn in this particular case. According to several posts on the Official PlayStation forums, MPEG-4 videos stutter to a point that the video is completely unplayable.
Aside from this, some even posted additional problems that they were experiencing. Streaming mpeg-2 files at 10x, 30x, and 120x speeds run only at a tenth of the designated speeds. Also, users have found out that skipping over unwanted content has become something that was very difficult to do. The issue is noting to do with the Media Server connection or the software itself. Media Server software such as TVersity and Nero Media Home have all tested fine with other content including DivX/XviD files.
Hopefully Sony are on the case and are preparing a fix for this issue. Look our for more details on this story over the coming weeks. We may just get a minor firmware update to fix this issue.
The April 2008 issue of the XTREME PSP Magazine is now available to download. This issue contains over 100 pages of PSP and PS3 related content with reviews of several high-profile games, previews of upcoming games and other articles. Check out reviews of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (PSP) and Gran Turismo 5: Prologue (PS3) in this issue. See the full content list below.
Content:
The US have received a massive update this week as part of this weeks PlayStation Network Store update. The US have received a new demo, plenty of add-on content for five different games, over ten new game videos and movie trailers, as well as a new theme and MGS wallpaper. Europe, on the other hand received a much smaller update consisting of a new playable demo, two news full games – the main one being Gran Turismo 5: Prologue, and some game add-on content and videos. Check out the list of new additions below.
European Additions:
US Additions:
UPDATE (March 28th 2008):
Sony features some technical difficulties in updating the European PlayStation Store yesterday, and as a result only a few items were added. The issue has now been resolved and we have included the complete list.
The latest booster pack for Warhark, Operation Broken Mirror, will be available to download to from PlayStation Store on April 17th, at the price of £3.99/$7.99. The booster pack will contain a entirely new layout called Vaporfield Glacier, with seven different layouts, and a new vehicle: the APC or Armoured Personnel Carrier. You can see our earlier report of Operation Broken Mirror here. Press Release and images below.
Images:
Official Press Release:
Since the first expansion pack (Operation: Omega Dawn) was released on PLAYSTATION Network (PSN) last December, Warhawk soldiers have been stepping up the attack around the world, battling for domination on the ground and in the air. To fuel the battle and keep morale high, expansion pack Operation: Broken Mirror will launch exclusively on PSN in April, bringing the mighty Armoured Personnel Carrier into the fray as troops battle it out in the seven arenas of the new Vaporfield Glacier.
The Glacier is a new Eucadian stronghold where snowy conditions blanket an intricate network of freeways and towns, the hub of which is the war torn Radial Village. Desperate for an advantage, the Eucadian army has established a research base in the southern polar wastes, far away from the active battle fronts. However, there is a mole in the camp and secret intelligence has been leaked to the Chernovan command instigating a lethal invasion force. The battle will be decided across seven arenas capable of holding different numbers of players – up to 32 gamers can fight in Tundra Assault, for example, while Olsavik Village is designed for smaller battles with four to eight players.
New terrain requires new equipment and what better for ground assaults in the snow than the Armoured Personnel Carrier? Designed for rapid infiltration, the tough and swift APC allows six passengers to fire weapons through its side hatches and features a ‘speed boost’ to charge through enemy lines more effectively. Once the APC reaches its destination, it acts as a forward spawn point for swarms of reinforcements. There’s also a driver-activated E-POD (Electrostatic Plasma Ordinance Disrupter) that emits a burst of energy that absorbs enemy fire to provide a temporary shield for your troops. It’s also a hazard for enemy Warhawk which are destroyed if they come into contact with it. The APC comes in two forms; one Eucadian (M-22 APC/SW) and one Chernovan (HE7-Walrus).
Before Operation: Broken Mirror, there’s another addition to your Warhawk experience via a downloadable patch. Early April, two new troop weapons are coming to the theatre of combat: the wrench and the Bio Field Generator. The wrench pickup replaces the knife and can be used in the same way – as a melee weapon that can kill enemy infantry with a single strike – but it’s not just a weapon; it be used to repair friendly vehicles. By simply standing next to the vehicle and striking it with the wrench, the lifespan of the vehicle is extended – with the opposite occurring when enemy vehicles are struck. The Bio Field Generator also replaces the knife and is deployed like a proximity mine, sticking to walls and vehicles. It generates a nanite cloud of your team’s colour – allied troops standing within the cloud experience rapid health regeneration with the opposite occurring to the enemy.
The Warhawk landscape has changed once again – download Operation: Broken Mirror for Warhawk via PSN in April and get ready to change the way you wage war…
UPDATE (March 28th 2008):
Operation Broken Mirror has now gone gold, and will be available to download on April 17th.
