Over the weekend, three new PSP Game demos: 1) LocoRoco, 2) Lumines II and 3) Doko Demo Issho: Let’s Gakkou! were made available for your download pleasure. (Note: these games are in Japanese) For your convenience, these demos can be acquired accordingly within our download section of the forum. Naturally, a simple free forum registration is required to download the file - Register for free to participate in the #1 discussion board for ATRAC based device.

LocoRoco

Instructions: Create a new folder - [NPJG90002] - within PSP>GAME and copy the LocoRoco Demo file (total size: 7,002 KB) into the newly created folder accordingly.

Lumines II

Instructions: Create a new folder - [ULJM05232] - within PSP>GAME and copy the Lumines II Demo file (total size: 7,583 KB) into the newly created folder accordingly.

Doko Demo Issho: Let’s Gakkou!

Instructions: Create a new folder - [NPJG90003] - within PSP>GAME and copy the Doko Demo Issho: Let’s Gakkou! Demo file (total size: 5,503 KB) into the newly created folder accordingly. (via Playstation.com Forums)

Enjoy!

Ah, what a year can do..

From Wired.

The new Walkman CM shown above is Sony’s latest for the two months old NW-A800 series. Simply christened as “Walkman Levitate,” the new CM is available for your viewing pleasure at ATRACLife in PSP AVC (H.264) format. For those that have yet to venture within our forum, please venture within for more information regarding our Sony Network Walkman CM (commercial video) Archive. Naturally, a simple forum registration will be required to access CMs within our archive. Enjoy!

In a stunning revelation brought forth to ATRACLife from trustworthy insiders, Sony is soon to debut a new flash-based Walkman to the world. What differentiates this device from previous Walkmans is its absolute freedom in music transfer. Sony has finally arose from its slumber and has made this a drag and drop personal audio device that doesn’t require Sonicstage to assist in moving music onto the device.

One, two, and four gigabyte versions are expected in three colors with OLED color display. Surprisingly, voice recording is included with all versions, and there will be FM-radio variants as well. The B100 series with FM capability can also record FM audio directly onto the unit. The ATRAC codec will not be supported with this device, but people familiar with the situation have stated that MP3 and non-DRM’d WMA will; we are left to speculate if AAC will be supported.

Expect an entry-level price point similar to previous Sony offerings and availability within the next month. A higher resolution image follows after the break.. Read the rest of this entry »

An update to the PSP system software was made available today and it is especially useful for those with a PS3 system. Why? Because it provides new value added feature for your PSP – the ability to utilize (and resume the) save game files of a given PS1 game title (acquired via the PLAYSTATION®Network) on the PSP. Accordingly, new improvements from this firmware include:

GAME
★ Support for PLAYSTATION®Network titles has been expanded.
★ The ability to utilize save data for Playstation software on the PS3 and PSP has been added.
★ The method of managing certificates under [Game] has been changed.

UPDATE NOW AVAILABLE:
PSP Firmware 3.40: Japanese | US | European | Chinese | Korean

We talked about the new NW-E series a few weeks back. Today, Sony Japan officially announced that the new NW-E series will hit retail shelves (in Japan) on April 21, 2007.

NW-E016: 4GB, approx. ¥ 19,800 (approx. USD$166)
★ available colors: Black, Violet, Pink
NW-E015: 2GB, approx. ¥ 13,800 (approx. USD$115)
★ available colors: Black, Violet, Pink, Blue, Gold
NW-E013: 1GB, approx. ¥10,800 (approx. USD$90)
★ available colors: Black, Violet, Pink, Blue, Gold

Along with its official release date, the new NW-E series will debut with the following optional accessories:

Soft Carrying Case | CKS-NWE010
★ MSRP: ¥2,480 (approx. USD$20)
★ Length of strap is adjustable: approx. 78-90cm
★ Colors: Black, Violet, Pink, Blue, Gold
★ Material: synthetic leather
★ Weight: approx. 16g

Silicon Case | CKM-NWE010
★ MSRP: ¥1,980 (approx. USD$16)
★ operational buttons and USB terminal is accessible while device is in the case
★ Material: silicone
★ Weight: approx. 6g

Armband with Sports Clip | CKA-NWE010K
★ MSRP: ¥2,480 (approx. USD$20)
★ Length of strap is adjustable: approx. 21-40cm
★ Material: sports clip – polycarbonate | armband – nylon, polyester
★ Weight: sports clip – approx. 9.4g | armband – approx. 47.5g

Walkman Clip | CLP-NWE010
★ MSRP: ¥1,980 (approx. USD$16)
★ Material: polycarbonate
★ Weight: approx. 5g

Sony’s latest Image Converter 3 has landed! As we have reported previously, Image Converter 3 will ship with the new NW-A800 series and it will serve as the Walkman’s principal video management utility – converting AVC Baseline, AVC Main Profile, AVI, MPEG1/2/4, QuickTime format and WMV to AVC Baseline and MPEG-4. In addition to converting videos, Image Converter 3 also converts BMP, JPEG, GIF, PGP (Picture Gear file format), PNG and TIFF format to JPEG format (to transfer the file to Walkman) as well as facilitating transfer off RSS video to the Walkman.

For owners of Image Converter 2 and Image Converter 2 Plus, Sony has made available an Image Converter 3 update program for your convenience. NOTE: This update cannot be installed to update from Image Converter 1.5. This update can only be installed to update from the CD-ROM version Image Converter 2 or Image Converter 2 plus.

DOWNLOAD LINKS: NORTH AMERICA | EUROPE | ASIA-PACIFIC

This update provides the following enhancements:
★ Automatic conversion of recorded TV programs. This feature is only available with VAIO computers with Giga Pocket or VAIO zone software. This feature is not available for Windows XP Media Center Edition/ Windows Vista Media Center computers.
★ Support for video RSS channels (podcasting). (*screenshot shown below)
★ Automatic transfer of videos to a Memory Stick. TV programs and RSS videos recorded on a computer can be automatically transferred to a Memory Stick inserted in your computer (directly or via adapter) or in your portable Playstation (PSP).
★ Conversion to MPEG-4, MPEG-4 AVC Main Profile, MPEG-4 AVC Baseline profile (depending on the device used).
★ Windows Vista Support.

COMPATIBLE FORMATS:
VIDEO FILES
Input:
★ avi (non Windows supported files may not be converted).
★ MPEG-1.
★ MPEG-2 (DVD cannot be converted).
★ MPEG-4 (only files recorded in Memory Stick video format are guaranteed to be compatible).
★ QuickTime format/ M4V files (latest version of QuickTime Player must be installed on your computer).
★ WMV.
★ DVR-MS (with Windows XP Media Center Edition or Vista).
★ TV programs recorded with Giga Pocket 5.0 or later or VAIO Zone (only available on some VAIO computers).
Note: copyright protected formats cannot be converted. All avi videos are not guaranteed to be compatible.
Output:
★ Memory Stick Video Format
★ MPEG-4 simple profile
★ H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC baseline profile
★ H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC main profile

STILL IMAGES (*screenshot shown below)
★ Input: BMP, JPEG, GIF, PGP, PNG, TIFF
★ Output: JPEG

Compatible Operating Systems
★ Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Sp4 or later
★ Microsoft Windows XP HOME Edition/Professional SP1/SP2
★ Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition (2004/2005)
★ Microsoft Vista Home Basic/Home Premium/Business/Ultimate
Note: Windows Vista 64bit version is not supported.

Read the rest of this entry »