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Movies have been proving how cool prequels can be. Batman Begins and Casino Royale totally make up for the Star Wars prequels, and the new Star Trek is shaping up nicely. Now video games are getting into the prequel game. Silent Hill is going back to the beginning, before the beginning actually. Silent Hill Origins is a PSP exclusive title, and Producer William Oertel answered a few questions to preview the new look into Silent Hill.

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The update and related details have yet to appear on Sony’s website, which still lists version 3.52 as the latest one, but the new firmware can be obtained via the network update feature on the PSP. According to PSP Fanboy, the new additions of 3.70 include:

* You can now set custom themes in [Theme Settings] under [Settings].
* Support has been added for assigning buttons in [Remote Play].
* A scene search feature has been added under [Video].
* Sequential playback is now supported under [Video].
* Simultaneous playback of content under [Music] and [Photo] is now supported.

The update will work with both the original PSP hardware and the newer PSP-2000, though options that take advantage of the new model – such as UMD cache and USB charge – are disabled for the original unit.

[Source]

Your prayers have been answered. (If you're a PSP junkie.) The G-Lab crew got all up in Sony's grill today and had a nice long fondle session with the newer, lighter, more colorful PSP. (Big thanks to Patrick Seybold for letting us check it out.) Hit the jump to see the specs and find out what's different and what remains the same.

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Sony confirmed recently that Japan would be getting the new PSP petite on 20 September. Europeans can look forward to it arriving even earlier.

David Reeves, the head of PlayStation in Europe, told MCV that the PSP mark 2 would be out in the beginning of September. On the continent, the new unit will go for €170, while it will be priced at £130 in the UK.

"This is an important new model," Reeves told MCV. "Once people get it into their hands they will feel the difference."

The new slimline PSP has more svelte dimensions than the unit on sale now, and it will come in black, white and silver variants. It weighs around a third less and it's about a fifth thinner too.

Source Kikizo

PSP Rhythm is a complete music workstation in the palm of your hand. Its features include sample playback, sample manipulation, wave synthesizers, audio effects, grid sequencer, and song arranger.

PSP Rhythm enables you to take audio samples, arrange them, effect them, and record your songs to CD quality audio files.

Major Improvements for version 7.1:
- Pattern Sample Playback (Loop)
- Export Song by Audio Track
- Improved Graphics
- Improved Audio Engine
- Improved Rendering to Wave File
- Bug fixes

The PSP Rhythm Development Team

Website
http://www.psprhythm.com

Screen Shot
http://www.psprhythm.com/rhythm.png

Windows Installer
http://www.psprhythm.com/Rhythm.zip

Manual Installer
http://www.psprhythm.com/Rhythm7.1.zip

Rhythm 7.1 Demo Song (song file and samples included with release)
http://www.psprhythm.com/songs/MANIA.mp3

A spokesperson for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has confirmed that the price of the PSP has been cut in the US.

Until this week, the Core PSP pack retailed for USD 199.99 (EUR 150 / GBP 100). However, it will now carry a price tag of USD 169.99 (EUR 130 / GBP 85).

The Core pack includes a PSP, battery and adaptor, and retails for GBP 150 in the UK.

When asked if Sony has any plans to cut the price in Europe the spokesperson replied, "We have no announcements to make about the PSP in the European market at this time."

The PSP competes in the handheld market with the Nintendo DS Lite, which has a lower price point of USD 129.99 / GBP 99.99. Last month Nintendo announced that more than 3 million DS units have now been sold in the UK, securing Nintendo a 68 per cent share of the market.

Source: GamesIndustry.biz

Sony has announced that a new WipEout game for PSP will be released this September, by the people over at Studio Liverpool. The game will feature custom tracks so you can play MP3's saved on your Memory Stick but also have new licensed music, including songs by Mason, Loco Dice and Stanton Warriors. WipEout Pulse will also feature a Photo Mode allowing you to take pictures of your ship and post them online. The game features 24 reversible tracks to race on and the ability to play locally and online (ad hoc and infrastructure).

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Sony has released firmware 3.30 as its latest update for the PSP. Things added in this update are as follows:

1) display thumbnails under RSS Channel
2) expanded support for PlayStation Network games, although no mentioned titles
3) added support for showing thumbnails for files in VIDEO folder, as J-PEGS!
4) option to set Disc-Load speed to Fast or Normal
5) multiple screen sizes for videos including: 720x480, 352x480, or 480x272

This update doesn't let you download the old PS1 games directly from the PSP which was originally promised by Sony. If you want to buy emulated PS1 games your gonna have to get a PS3 to download them online. A big plus is that videos can now be played in full resolution, probably since the UMD format flopped Sony is opening up its restrictions.

Download: [North America]
Download: [Japan]

Check out the chart of the top 20 UK games from last week. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Warfighter 2 maintains the top spot while Gears of War settles in on the bottom of the list.

Here are the results from March 17 in the UK charts.
1 Tom Clansy's Ghost Recon Warfighter 2
2 Final Fantasy XII
3 Sonic and the Secret Rings
4 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07
5 Crackdown
6 Test Drive Unlimited
7 FIFA 07
8 The Sims 2: Seasons
9 Pro Evolution Soccer 6
10 Mario vs Donkey Kong 2: March of Minus
11 NEW SUPER MARIO BROS.
12 Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
13 The Sims 2: Pets
14 Call of Duty 2
15 Need For Speed Carbon
16 The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess
17 Spectrobes
18 Football Manager 2007
19 WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2007
20 Gears of War

Today, SCEA has announced the North American release of Level 5's strategy/RPG, Jeanne d'Arc for the PSP this August. The game is said to include a "diverse combat and gameplay system," as players will battle their way through a world that cleverly blends history and fantasy. Obviously, as indicated by the title, the storyline is inspired by - perhaps not exactly based on - the real-life Joan of Arc.

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