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First PSP Beta Test Begins Wih SOCOM Fireteam Bravo
Posted by Jesse Easley Categories: Internet, Portable/Mobile, PSP,
Well, it appears that the first official PSP Beta Test has begun. This time it’s for SOCOM Fireteam Bravo. There isn’t much detail to give yet because the emails were just sent out tonight. People who were part of the SOCOM II beta test seem to have gotten the emails first, than it was sent to other members of Sony’s G.A.P. (Gamer Advisory Panel). Once I get my beta disc, I’ll post some screenshots and impressions. Until then, read more for information about the game.
Read More 
| IGN
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In a recent survey provided by Info Plant - a online market researcher – 1,000 PSP owners were selected to gather some statistics. Do any of these surprise you?
60% purchased PSP within three months after its release
The average user owns 3.1 titles
Nearly 90% have PlayStation 2
Over 60% own PlayStation One
Just under 50% own a GBA
About 30% own Nintendo DS
Over 10% of the respondents (13.5% of male and 12.9% of female) own at least one UMD
53.2% of male and 59.3% of female, said that they have none and that they do not plan to purchase [more UMD’s] in the foreseeable future.
26.2% of the male respondents and 15.8% of the female respondents currently use a Memory Stick Duo
24.9% and 40.3% of the male and female respondents have no intention to use it.
25.9% male and 11.8% female said that they have updated their consoles in the latest firmware upgrade.
25.9% male and 51.7% female respondents have not heard of the upgrade.
Of such female respondents, 22.8% have no plan to update their units soon.
Read More | Jancorp via PSP World
PSP Firmware Update 2.0 Now Available in US
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Internet, Portable/Mobile,
Okay, we have been waiting for this news for about two weeks, and the Sony gods have finally answered our calling. Switch on your PSP, and go for the Network Update. You will now have a warranty-compatible PSP with Firmware 2.0, complete with updates for photo, video, network, and music features.
Read More | Sony
Latest Gear Live Videos
With more and more cell phones featuring location awareness GPS, more games utilizing the technology are coming into the forefront of mobile gaming. Several games have been released that take advantage of GPS for control. Imagine a Pac-Man styled game where each part of the maze (containing 3-5 of the 100+ pellets) was a city block, and the game board itself was a crowded downtown corridor. The interesting interaction here is how the physical world is suddenly drawn into the virtual by requiring the user to go running about in order to accomplish their goal. The two released games so far seem to be more focused on a battleship-style navel combat game where users can interact with other players and try to “torpedo” them down by guessing their current location on street maps. Gaming evolved, or revolutionized - you make the call!
Nintendo has finally launched with Game Boy Micro official website. The website is lean on information at the moment, but includes a lot of pictures of the Micro and it’s various faceplates. The Micro certainly has found a place in the heart of many avid gamers for its diminutive “slip in a pocket” size and customizable faceplates. With the launch date looming near, Playfeed promises to present a full review once it launches.
Read More | Game Boy Micro
Videogame Services Being Added to Hotel Amenities
Posted by Alex Grahmann Categories: Corporate News, PlayStation 2, Portable/Mobile,
Several upscale hotel companies are beginning to use the growing interest in gaming to round out their list of featured room amenities. Marriot International is pointing toward the rising numbers of guest traveling with their game consoles as a factor in the company’s installation of new hi-definition televisions in rooms across the county. Radisson and Country Inns & Suites hotels are looking into the viability of offering internet gaming to their guests. Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica, California, even goes as far as to offer their guests free use of PS2s and PSPs, along with a dedicated “game butler” to give tips and technical support. While these amenities may continue to elude the more run-of-the-mill hotel chains that we normally stay in, this development does reflect the continued cultural shift toward viewing gaming as a valid source of mainstream entertainment. I’m just hoping that it will let them finally stop advertising “Free HBO and Phone.”
Read More | The Wall Street Journal
Okay, so while I was messing around with the soon to come Game Boy Micro, I noticed one that had a peculiar design. Upon closer inspection, it looked to me like Nintendo was taking a shot at the PSP, as up close it looked like the design was that of a broken PSP screen. Well, I continued perusing, and I heard a few other people make the same comment, and a Nintendo representative just smiled without giving a confirm or deny.
What do you think?
Gameboy Micro Gets Official Price and Date
Posted by Edwin Soto Categories: Corporate News, Portable/Mobile,
Nintendo continues to be at the forefront of gaming news today, as they have made known the release date of the upcoming Gameboy Micro - the cute, adorable, minuscule version of the Gameboy Advance. Check for it on September 19th, at a price of about $99 - just $30 less than the new price point of the Nintendo DS. This seems to be the last generation of the GBA. Are people really willing to shell out a hundred beans for another GBA?
Read More | Gamespot via Joystiq
As of Sunday, August 21st, the day before Nintendo releases Nintendogs, its much-anticipated pet simulator, the Nintendo DS will begin selling in the US at the suggested retail price of $130, a $20 price drop. While the $20 drop may not seem like much up front, it does put the DS at a strategic price of roughly half of the cost of the PSP and allows a new buyer to bring home an extra game or accessory with their system. So far, the DS has sold over 2.5 million units in the US and 5 million worldwide.
Read More | Associated Press
Relationship psychologist Susan Quilliam has found that playing a game like Nintendogs, or any other virtual pet game, can help develop our motor skills, attention span, and our ability to solve problems. So you benefit in two ways - a fun and entertaining mental exercise, and you don’t need to pick up any poop.
Read More | mbf tod@y via Kotaku
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