Welcome to another episode of QJ.NET's PSP Weekend Warrior! This week sees quite a bit of action in the wake of Team M33's custom firmware release, with developers busily upgrading their homebrews to meet up to the CFW's specs. Methinks there was a consensus to get all the work in before Independence Day hit.

On the gaming side of matters, Square Enix's Dissidia: Final Fantasy updates with another progress report (courtesy of Tetsuya Nomura) even as the region readies for some updates from some other high-profile titles. Sony's also in the spotlight once again regarding a new handheld that's recently been approved by the U.S. patent office.

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Keeping up with the Joneses: The race to update to CFW 4.01 M33

There's a general clamor within the development community to keep pace with Team M33's recently released custom firmware 4.01. This week in particular sees an influx of updates for some of our favorite homebrews, with a general sentiment to optimize compatibility with the new release from Team M33.

Link: AFKIM: Instant Messenger for PSP v3.3.5
Link: PSP Filer v5.2
Link: CXMB 3.2.1: bugfixes for random theme function
Link: Project4 V1.6180-2 released
Link: UPTInstaller v4.3 - fully compatible with CFW 4.01 M33
Link: Hold+ v2.1 - idle timeout bug fixed
Link: CTF Manager v2.0 - now create your own 4.01 M33-compatible themes
Link: prxutility v4.0: Now compatible with CFW 4.01 M33

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General homebrew:

So, what's next for Dark AleX in light of his recent custom firmware release? Another project he has in the works is a handy plugin that lets gamers create savestates for some of their favorite titles. It's still highly experimental, but very promising.

Link: PspStates Experiment version 2

Got an itch to play your favorite tunes? Not to worry - this week sees the release of a new build for caliabor's MP3 ME Player, which features a decidedly old-school DOS/ANSI backdrop. Sakya's own LightMP3 player also gets an upgrade and now features multi-language support. Both apps are just the thing for audiophiles trying to get the most mileage out of their PSP's battery.

Link: LightMP3 v2.0.0 BETA 2: now with multi-language support
Link: MP3 ME Player v1.03 - support for ID3 JPEG cover art, more

You don't need a big budget to create big games for the PSP. Such is the point being made by charnold's release for a new PSP Dungeon: Assault Run build. This 3D FPS carries some new improvements that should ensure smoother and faster gun battles. If you're more into old-school blasting, there's also Zack's Wolfenstein 3D port for both the Slim and Phat.

Link: PSP Dungeon: Assault Run v1.0.5
Link: Wolfenstein 3D v4.5: now with Wolf 3D full version support

For PSP Slim owners, one particularly interesting homebrew to look out for is FuSa. This application enables the Slim to hook up to your TV using using any kind of video cable - be it composite, component, svideo, or d-terminal. While a new build isn't out just yet, developer And_MaN did release details on the new SpeeDBoosteR that's expected go along with the next FuSa release.

Link: In-development: SpeeDBoosteR for FuSa SD coming in July

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Over in Japan...

Purely awesome or possibly misleading. Fellow blogger Victor B. couldn't have phrased it better regarding the of possibility of Devil May Cry arriving on the PSP. So will Capcom indeed be challenging the likes of Kratos and Zack with some of Dante's trademark style? We hope so, if only to hear more of the dude's crazy one-liners. Yea to bullet mattresses!
 
Link: Is it real? Capcom lists PSP Devil May Cry on Japanese site

Not that Dante's the only one that's grabbed the spotlight. While Sega's Phantasy Star Portable is all set to launch by July 31, a demo is going to be released in the weeks before that. Capcom gives Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G some DLC loving for this week in the form of new challenges. ARC System's Guilty Gear XX Accent Core finally gets a launch date too, and guess what, it's within this month!

Link: Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus details and screenshots
Link: Phantasy Star Portable Demo this month in Japan
Link: Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G DLC update: unleash the pink fury

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Word from Sony:

Sony has recently been granted a patent for a new mystery touchscreen handheld. What's this new gadget exactly? We're not sure, but persistent rumors from months past indicate that it may have something to do with a PSP-style phone that's been the topic of many a discussion.

Link: US Patent & Trademark Office grants Sony patent rights for touchscreen handheld

In more official news, IT security firm Sophos recently announced that the pages for SingStar and God of War on Sony's official PlayStation site have been the subject of a hacking incident. Consider this a reminder of how important it is to keep your anti-virus software constantly updated.
 
Link: Playstation website infiltrated, hackers stealing credit card details

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We're pretty interested in Sony's recent patent filing. It can mean anything at this point of course, though the notion of seeing a new PSP with real cellphone capabilities is a pretty cool idea. The touch pad, on the other hand, sounds pretty dicey. If experience with iPhone emulators tell us anything, it's that Sony may want to keep to the traditional controls if they're serious about the handheld being a gaming platform.