There were all kinds of these PSP video compression tools -- we didn't name them all, obviously. They're all based on the work in 3GP and the hacker community that they fed off of anyway (basically, the hackers cracked the SCE header on PSP videos, then the guys behind 3GP implemented it into its own FFMPEG software, and it went from there.
PSP Video9 has some odd quirks that the homebrew community has not been wild about, but it also makes some very nice clips. None of these PSP video making solutions are official, so have at as many as you want. Try to stick with known ones, however, because there will be a lot of these that pop up, and a few may capitalize on the hype to sneak in some spyware in the EXE.
--Nix
Hi, I've read somewhere on your site a while ago (don't remember where) that shows how to change the background image of the PSP Menu screen. However, I cannot find that page anymore. Can you explain (or link to that guide) how to do that?
-- Lam
Er, honestly? We don't know. We checked the manual, but it didn't have anything. You can temporarily have an image stuck in the background, but that's more because the PSP's XMB menu multitasks in a minor way, so the background image (which also can be a video frame) is really just there why you navagate the menu, and it goes away when you do something else. If anybody knows how to set the background image, send it in -- we're too sleepy from the midnight shifts to think straight. And by the by, what the heck am I doing, this isn't my mailbag today ... here's Jason.
--Nix
Is it possible to use a 1gb duo then the one they game in the standard u.s pack. or u have to use the 32 duo.
-- aznflipboypride
You can go as big as you want. SanDisk not only makes the 1 gigabyte disk, There are plans to go to 2 gigs, but you can't find them for sale anywhere even though they got announced. Of course none of this remotely cheap. SanDisk's 2-gigabyte monster, the Memory Stick PRO Duo, will retail at about $359.99 and $479.99 for the Ultra II model. Nix wrote up a Memory Stick Duo article about all this back in February. Take a gander.
--Jason
I just got my PSP on launch day, and I'm having a bit of trouble with the online feature, and it's happening in both twisted metal and gretzky. i get into the lobbies and try to play but I usually get disconnected with an error that says something along the lines of check the network switch and make sure it's up & check my access point. Now, I know what I'm doing and how to have this all set up and I'm certain everything is set up properly. I also went into the PSP options and took off the powersave on the wireless network adaptor. I'm still getting disconnected. Are they having troubles with their network launching, or is there something wrong with my PSP?
-- Curt
When we played Twisted Metal here in the office, the same thing happened. We've heard that others are having the same problem. It would suck if the servers weren't prepared for launch -- maybe they will be kicked on full today. But if your friends have PSPs, you can easily play one another through the Ad hoc features, or set up a home LAN (which, if you're really clever, you can also put online, without their servers.). That's just as fun. Give it some time, the network should be running at peak capacity soon.
--Jason
Hey there. A PSP sounds like a great system, but there are times when I don't like staring at an itty bitty screen. Is there a way to hook it up to my TV at home?
-- Franky
No you can't. Sony may develop an accessory later that can do that, or Third-party developer could as well. But for now you'll have to settle for this little 16 x 9. But it isn't so little, once you get it in your hands.
--Jason
Hey - just wondering if there were any clues to either an SSX game or an Onimusha game (the 2 best series on the PS2 IMO) coming out for the PSP?
-- Dan Z
Nope. SSX would be the better bet, since SSX4 is due who knows when.
--Jason
Will the PSP be able to use voice chat on online games since it has a USB slot on it
-- Dan
We bet that eventually it will. Back in January of this year, there was a leak of a patch that was apparently by Sony that included an application for voice chat, among other things. But Sony announced that the patch didn't work properly, was only suppose to go to developers, and that installing it to the PSP would damage it. They basically told everyone to steer clear of it and to refrain from installing it. If anything, this shows that Sony has definitely considered this as an application and may make it officially available to the public in the future. Sony showed a microphone accessory at last year's E3, so don't doubt that they are looking at this.
Interestingly, all of the games that are online for PSP use generic interfaces (like the regular text chat), so we shall see if, once added, we might see some new features carried over to the games already out. Voice chat in-game is doubtful, but maybe on the lobby? At the very least, we expect to be able to use add-on keyboards instead of the stupid PSP dial-a-chat.
--Jason
I was just curious if the PSP was compatible with a Mac?
-- Darren
Yes. You can put music and stuff on a PSP with a Mac -- the PSP just mounts like a USB hard drive.
--Jason
I imported a psp from Japan and it works great with all the games that I bought here in the U.S. My question is will I be able to play the umd movies that are being released in the U.S.
-- Rich
Sony was kind enough to make Japanese and American games work on both the Japanese and American PSPs. Unfortunately, the same will not apply to the UMD movies. These are the DVD people we are talking about here. The same regional coding laws that apply to DVDs will apply to the UMDs as the regional coding parameters are implemented by the studios themselves.
--Jason
Why are you idiots acting like the PSP is good... "Start lining up", ummm right. I was in the same shops today as I was when the DS launched; unlike the DS launch (when I couldn't find a single system in 5 stores), I didn't even see anyone looking at that thing... Seriously who exactly is Sony trying to sell this thing to, do they even know? You must be really disappointed that they will fail to drive up prices in the handheld market; I'm sure they have similar plans for the console market, which will also fail.
-- XB
Ho ho ho, XB. Maybe if you pulled your head out of your ass, you'd see that it isn't Christmas. Those DS buyers were out there among the masses, and now, it's only women shopping for clothes in malls. To have anything this big happen in March is gigantic. Also, Sony hasn't put PSP ads all over kids' shows, they haven't done almost any of that yet. They are keeping it quiet because they only have a million to work with (Nintendo had four million in NA and Japan for its launch), and it's still selling out in a good number of stores. As many stores as you say we went to, we went to and called tons more for our retail report and heard that they expected to be out today. Some places, we couldn't even get through because the phones were busy.
Seriously, love the DS, but don't go jamming that touch-stylus in your eyes before you take a look around. The PSP is primed to appeal to almost anyone. I met mothers in line last night at the Metreon that were waiting to buy there PSP, not for the games, but for the UMD movies it will have. And moreover, the Playstation brand alone carries the Midas touch, but I won't even get into all of that. I don't want xb to have an aneurism trying to process all this information.
--Jason
hey ign guys. I bought Ridge Racer and I noticed when you make a driver profile the default name is tekken. My question is could this be a hint that we will be seeing a tekken game on the psp in the future? oooh how I love tekken. Please answer my dieing question!
-- Charles
It's definitely possible. Namco is very Sony friendly, so there's no reason to see why they wouldn't give it a try. There are a lot of games in the default Ridge Racer name, including Heihachi and Katamari Damacy, but they made a lot of random generics so that when people play wirelessly, they all have different names automatically. It's not a confirmed hint, but it is a good lead. Let's keep our fingers crossed...
--Jason
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