psp

PSP Rhythm is the homebrew drum machine for the PSP. Anyone who hasn't already updated their firmware to play Vice City Stories, might want to have a play with this.

The crew at Jahshaka are holding a competition for people to design a start-up screen for them. Give aways include a Mac Mini, a video iPod and a PSP. Check it out at, http://www.jahshaka.org/content/view/109/46/

The hugely popular PlayStation Portable games device has become the latest target for computer miscreants, with the discovery of a "Trojan horse" program that renders the machines inoperable.

The PSP is designed to run only approved games and software, but unauthorised codes, or "patches", can be downloaded and installed in order to bypass these controls. The newly discovered malicious software, or "malware", poses as just such an illicit patch. The problem is that, once installed, it deletes four critical system files, rendering the infected device useless.

Researchers at antivirus firm Symantec say the Trojan, dubbed Trojan.PSPBrick, was found circulating on gaming web sites last week. PSP users who unwittingly install it will see the message "Your PSP 2.0 is hacked, please reboot" pop up on the screen of their console. However, efforts to restart the gadget are likely to end in frustration.

"It's a really nasty trick," says Mikko Hyppönen, director of antivirus research at Finnish company F-Secure. He believes there is no way to remedy an infected machine without taking it for costly repairs. "A hacker as destructive as this obviously isn't thinking straight."

GameSpot has some details from an Interview of SCE Software Platform Chief Izumi Kawanishi that was published in Japanese magazine Famitsu. It includes details on improving direct video downloads and also maybe introduce streaming video, but the most interesting discussed future feature is an email client.

Following earlier news of Hollywood movies on your PSP, comes the inevitable porn releases [NWS].

Adult movies in the PSP-friendly Universal Media Disc format will be released in Japan this summer. Two publishers will offer a total of eight movies specifically for the PSP. Adult-content publisher Glay'z will release five titles starting on July 8, while fellow publisher H.M.P. will release three additional titles on July 16. The movies will be priced between 1,995 yen ($18) and 3,990 yen ($37).

While software releases for the PSP are subject to approval from Sony Computer Entertainment, the Sony gaming division does not hold sway over movies released for the device.

"Unlike games, we believe that UMD movies are an all-purpose media, like DVD movies. We do not control their content in the way that we do with games," commented an SCE representative in a previous interview with Impress PC Watch. "We are not in a position to know what kinds of UMD videos get released."