Last we heard, from StrmnNrmn, he has just figured out a new clipping code to take care of problems with speed and graphics. It involves breaking down triangles into smaller pieces before rendering them, slimming down the chances of the PSP discarding them.

Since the new clipping code is new, you could say that it's still in the development stage. He's been very busy doing some trial and error to get various matrix/vector routines and the transform and lighting (TnL) code working with the VFPU. Unfortunately, it seems that until he comes back from visiting his family over the weekend, further testing and updates will be put on hold. However, he leaves us with some very good news and documentation before leaving.

I'm seeing very good results so far. The TnL code is around 2-3 times as fast running through the VFPU compared to the CPU. This gives around a 0.5-1.0fps speedup in the various roms I've been testing.

Come back soon StrmnNrmn.

Pro-Han Lin has released the latest version of the asteroid-blasting game Ceres for the PSP. Version 1.3 (created for the NeoFlash Summer Coding Contest) will run on firmwares 1.0 and 1.5 and features IR 2-player capability. The game author also challenges players to see if they can get past Mission 21 to see an additional challenge - wormholes - thrown in.

Like its predecessors, Ceres is donationware; donations will unlock expanded features in the game. The game itself provides instructions for donations at the credits, or you can register through the game's homepage at eDepot to make donations (as of this posting, the eDepot game site for Ceres has not been updated for v1.3).

Changelog from the Readme.txt (the last version featured in QJ was v1.1):

• 1.3: Aug 20, 2006: Zoom in and out of stars
• Explosion debris
• Ion thrust fragments
• Made for homebrew competition
• Removed hyperspace
• Wormholes in Mission 21+
• Moveable radar HUD
• 1.2: Storyline Release
  

Here's a video of the game in action:

Download: [Ceres v1.3 for PSP]

The team at Bare Feats may never win a Nobel prize for this but if you're a consumer on the market for a new computer, we suggest you check out their findings. The team put the 2.66GHz Mac Pro mano-a-mano with the 2.5GHz G5 Quad-Core Power Mac through a series of CPU intensive tests that include running:

Non-Universal Binary Apps

• PhotoShop CS2
  
• After Effects 7.0

Universal Binary Apps

• iMovie HD6
• Final Cut Pro 5
• FileMaker Pro 8.5
• Cinebench 9.5

And the results are...drumroll please...

Quad-Core G5 Power Mac beats Mac Pro Xeon/2.66GHz when running Photoshop CS2 and After Effects 7. Between the 3.0GHz Mac Pro and the Quad Core G5 Power Mac, Mac Pro is 5% slower on the Photoshop but 8% faster on the After Effects test.

Both versions of the Mac Pro are faster than the G5 Power Mac running iMovie, Final Cut Pro, FileMaker and Cinebench with the Mac Pro 2.66GHz up to 62% faster than the 2.5 GHz Quad-Core G5 Power Mac. The Mac Pro 3.0GHz was even faster by as much as 85%.

The Bottomline: If money is a big issue and the machine will be used for non-UB pro apps (like Photoshop CS2), Quad-Core G5 Power Mac is a good choice. If the machine is destined for heavy Universal Binary apps (like Final Cut Pro 5.1) and cost is not a factor, go for the new Mac Pro plus the expensive memory (the team recommend at least 4GB). However, expect a 5-week wait for the optional Radeon X1900 XT and the scarcity of correct memory from upgrade sources.

Whenever we talk about Wii's price, there's this lingering quote by one of our staff. It goes "between 7-11's brainfreeze food promo and Nintendo's own camp promo, we think we'll side with the makers of Wii." In case you aren't in the know about that, Camp Hyrule is a week long online summer camp where gamers get the chance to be immersed in the world of Nintendo. It was also the source of the rumor that Ninty's next-gen console will go below its expected price of $250.

We may have reasons to believe that rumor.

According to Nintendo Inside of Japan, a cheaper Wii may be possible with the Nintendo stocks hitting a new high on The Nikkei due to a cheaper procurement of CPU's because of larger orders. The reported price tag? 19,800 Japanese Yen (roughly $171) from the 25,000 Japanese Yen price.

If there's one thing you don't joke about in Japan, it's the Nikkei and Prime Minster Koizumi's love for Elvis.

So if we have to choose between the 7-11's promo between the Camp Hyrule and Nikkei developments, then we think it's wiser to bet your money on the Hyrule and Nikkei speculations. But then again, you may think otherwise. Still, feel free to share your thoughts and opinions through your comments.

Don't you just hate it when you thing you're all hooked up (excuse the pun) and DevHook suddenly decides to freeze when you try running Firmware 2.71 at 333mhz? Just a few days back, IndianCheese has shared a nifty trick with us to solve this issue. Today, another good Samaritan is sharing an alternative trick you may want to try; it even has WiFi working.

But before proceeding with the instructions, make sure that you have Harleyg's Custom Firmware Patch v0.2, as it is an essential part of this trick. Much thanks to ando2k6 for the tip!

Intructions:

• Cold boot your psp then flick the hold button down to go to recovery menu
• In recovery menu go to change clockspeed select 333
• Select back then click exit (should take you back to 1.5)
• Start devhook go to CPU clock select 333mhz then start it without UMD in drive
• Once loaded try your web browser it should work
• Then reboot psp fully (coldboot) select devhook again now select cpu clock select no change then start devhook
• Now have a fully overclocked psp with wifi working
• To prove it works press home and select to change cpu speed should change to 133 so it was stuck at 333 to change it back repeat the process

Download: [Harleyg's Custom Firmware Patch v0.2]

The Yahoo! Kids site has updated with a lot of details that should make those of us who are no longer kids a lot happier! Pokemon Pearl and Pokemon Diamond are looking more and more interesting with each new bit of news. The most intriguing things are about the Battle Tower and Global Trading System!

 

The Global Trading System will be a regional (sorry, not worldwide) trading system. You can search for the Pokemon you want by typing in its name. A list of Pokemon, belonging to trainers who want to trade it, will come up for you to make an offer. When the trainer comes online again, they can choose to accept or reject your offer. If they accept, the trade will be completed the next time you go online. If they reject, the trade will obviously not go through. It should also obviously work the other way where you put up a Pokemon for trade and others make offers. After your offer goes through, the person is tagged onto a little map which shows which part of the continent they live on.

   
  

The Battle Tower is also sounding pretty awesome. When trainers go online, the server uploads their team of Pokemon. When go to the Battle Tower, you can download these teams of Pokemon to fight. A CPU will control the teams and only teams around your skill level will be downloaded.

The above two methods do not require friend codes. You will still be able to do the standard friend code stuff in the basements of the Pokemon Centres. By exchanging friend codes, you can fight and trade your friends live. Also, you will be able to use voice chat to communicate.

Big thank you to Bo130 of NeoGAF for translations.

In the land where people are crazy about watching TV shows on their mobile phones and other portable devices,it's not surprising that Korean electronics manufacturers continue to churn out portable media players capable of Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB). Koreans just can't get enough of them. So, Curon unveiled yet another device for the DMB-crazy Koreans - the QCOX DMB/PMP.

The QCOX runs on Windows CE 5.0 on an AMD Alchemy CPU. It features a big enough screen to enjoy Korean soap operas. It has 30GB HDD, DMB tuner, and Macromedia Flash UI and TV Out. While the features are pretty standard, the intriguing wheel on the side of the device would surely get curious folks asking what the cool looking thing is. Well, it's said to be a mode-switching wheel that allows you to choose different functionalities. It's quite a step back from the usual digital buttons, but we think it's quite an interesting feature.

No word yet on pricing or whether the device will become available in the US.

If you believe that you can never be too rich, too thin or have too many hard drives, the Norco DS-1220 12 Bay 3U SATA NAS Subsystem was built for people like you. The DS-1220 supports up to a dozen 3.5" SATA-I or SATA-II disk drives which should be enough to satisfy even the most voracious storage fanatic. It's other monstrous features include:

• 3U rack height
• Cost effective near-line storage library
• 4 port eSATA host interface (Silicon Image SiI3124 + SiI3726 Multipliers)
• 1.5 Gb/s SATA Gen 1 and 3 Gb/s SATA Gen 2 host and drive support
• Excellent cooling system
• Hot-swappable disk drive tray with special designed power-off and lock mechanism
• Monitor and alarm for temperature and fans
• PCI-X/PCI card, eSATA cables, power supply, HDD mobile rack, backplane, all mounting screws for HDDs included
• Support RAID 0, 1, 5, 0+1, JBOD
• Supports Windows, Linux, MAC

It also has a monstrous price tag of about $840 and that excludes the motherboard, CPU, memory, an OS and the hard drives.

Have you heard about the one where IBM is supposedly working on a revised Broadway chip for a future Nintendo handheld that plays GameCube discs? If you missed it, it's because the rumor disappeared as if it was swallowed by the Bermuda Triangle.

It started with IGN's Matt Casamassina's article on a bunch of Wii rumors. The handheld Gamecube gossip reads:

"Insiders claim to have seen final hardware. The Broadway CPU is allegedly in the 750 CL line, a continuation of the 750 GX series. IBM may be working on a revised Broadway chip with a lower clock speed for a future Nintendo handheld -- presumably one that plays GameCube discs."

The paragraph has since been taken off like an unwanted tumor while the rest of the Wii rumor article is still there. Some rumors are just too hot too handle!

IGN gathered up some juicy bits of Wii info from various industry contacts. It seems every insider has a different story to tell. The latest twist on the Wii price point saga is that the next-gen console will be offered in black and white for a fantastic price of $229, lower than 7-11's approximate retail value of $299.

Insiders also claim that big-name publishers are set to release Wii games in mid-to-late October, which suggests that the launch isn't too far off. Several IGN sources even said that November 2 could be the red-letter day for the Wii.

The buzz doesn't stop there though. Insiders further claimed to have seen the final hardware: "The Broadway CPU is allegedly in the 750 CL line, a continuation of the 750 GX series. IBM may be working on a revised Broadway chip with a lower clock speed for a future Nintendo handheld - presumably one that plays GameCube discs."

The IGN article also mentioned that Nintendo is said to have increased the production of Wii to 5.5 million units, after the positive reaction it garnered from the press and industry analysts at E3 2006.

We're beginning to suffer from Wii info overload, so we'll just treat them as rumors, until we actually see the final hardware in the flesh. But we gotta admit, it's a good read.