Just recently, Birdman ran an article concerning the legality of firmware updates for the Sony PlayStation Portable console. The post by hey u at the Sony forums, generated lots of comments. He argued that updating firmwares can be considered a legal transaction and since minors are not allowed to enter in a contract, the update is void. With this, hey u claimed that Sony has the responsibility to downgrade the minor's PSP firmware to its original conditions.

In his words, hey u said, "Well, it seems I may be on to something. I was thinking, that since a minor may not enter into a contract, which is what an update is, sony would have to restore it to its original condition if a minor updated it. Now the problem is, how do you prove that a minor updated it?  It sux, because I would definately pull this on them if I could prove I updated. Any thoughts, I mean someone should video tape themself with their Photo ID in the pic, and update, thenget sony in court and see if they would comply. They would have to...... Its The Law!!!"

hey u has a point in his post, but then we don't think Sony would honor such a claim. In the first place, you must first prove in court that the person is indeed a minor. Someone even commented, "Homebrew is already completely legal under the Fair Use act. Sony cannot legally bind ANYONE to an illegal contract, which is what they're trying to do when they make you update." But we haven't checked if this is true.

Just a quick tour down memory lane, the 1.00 version of the first launch Japanese-only PSP allows homebrews to run in its system. When it was upgraded to 1.5 firmware, also called the golden firmware, hackers were able to hack the codes to allow homebrews like DevHook to run. DevHook allows PSP users to emulate up to 2.71 firmwares so you could opt not to upgrade your current 1.5 firmware.

Sony has tried to entice PSP users to upgrade their firmwares by adding new features in new firmwares. Take for example the current firmware which is in 2.81. It allows the PSP to download videos and images from RSS content and a 3.0 firmware is already rumored to be on its way which will be able to host PS1 games on your PSP.

Omar_omar2 has released his first Lua game for the PSP called Catch a $. We downloaded it and tried it ourselves, and its actually fun and the controls are very simple. Using the D-pads to control the image of a PSP console located at the bottom of the screen, a dollar sign will fall from the Sony's cash register and it is your goal to deliver these bouncing dollar signs to the Hackers on the other side. Drop it for three times and the game is over. You are given three chances to deliver as many dollar signs as you can from the cash register to the hackers. Obviously, the game is intended for single player mode only.

The game has some hidden meaning attached to it (delivering dollars to hackers) and that's what makes it pretty amusing. Catch a $ is still in its early version and the developer said there are some fixes to be made, so expect a better version sometime in the future. Good job Omar_omar2!

  

Download: [Catch a $ v.1]

First of all, allow us to congratulate Xandu on his first Lua program. It's called L:UA (Lua Utility Applications). For now the application is still in beta version but by the looks of it, this application is a very handy tool to organize the Lua files of your beloved handheld. Included in the first version is a PSP Lua counter, a Pix fix and a PSP button tester. The PSP Lua counter keeps track of the total number of Lua files in your PSP but according to the developer, it can only count 30 hits for now. But don't worry, we're sure Xandu will update this.

Next is the Pixel Fixer which we think can be of great help in managing your PSP's image settings. The last feature is the PSP button tester. It's really very promising despite it being in the beta stage; with its cool graphics, this one stays installed in our PSP until the next version comes out.

Anyway, for those who have already downloaded this application, we think Xandu would appreciate your comments and suggestions regarding what needs to be improved on L:UA v1.0 Beta. For more updates on this, be sure to stay tuned here at QJ.

Download: [L:UA (Lua Utility Applications) v1.0 BETA]
Discuss: [Forum Release Thread]

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Update: L:UA (Lua Utility Applications) v1.0.2 (NO LUA PLAYER NEEDED) has been released. Read the my.qj.net article about it, or head on over to the forum to find out more.

Changelog:

• No lua player needed
• Fixed some bugs
• PSP StopWatch
• Improved GUI
• New EBOOT

Download: [L:UA (Lua Utility Applications) v1.0.2 (NO LUA PLAYER NEEDED)]
Disciss" [Forum Release Thread]

On October 19, 2004, a lawsuit against THQ Inc. and JAKKS Pacific LLC was filed by the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in the U.S. District court. This is about the toy license with WWE and the video game license between WWE and the joint venture company operated by THQ Inc. and JAKKS Pacific Inc.

Named WWE Action, World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. claimed that both companies violated their property rights by improper sales of WWE video games in Japan and other Asian territories. Due to this, WWE is seeking termination of video game license of both companies along with monetary damages.

THQ and JAKKS Pacific denied the allegations in a press release recently, claiming that the lawsuit is "without merit" and they are planning to prove their case in court. One of the WWE video games from the joint venture is WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2006 for the PSP and PS2 consoles which was released in U.S. and Canadian territories on November 15 last year. With the lawsuit at hand, we don't know if the release of the game will be fulfilled. But we are keeping our fingers crossed that this case won't affect other WWE releases from THQ and JAKKS Pacific since so many WWE fans have been waiting for this.

Superman was further immortalized as a superhero after Electronic Arts announced that a videogame based from this year's box office hit film Superman Returns. The game is already being developed by EA Tiburon for Xbox 360, PSP and Nintendo DS. Featuring a virtual Metropolis, this single player game allows its players to have a first-hand experience of Superman's kyptonian abilities. Players must need to master these superhuman skills in order to combat an array of enemies like Metallo, Mongul and Bizarro, and save the lives of Metropolis' citizens.

Players are free to roam the 80 square miles expanse of Metropolis, with over 10,000 buildings. Having a large area for gameplay, players won't run out of missions to accomplish as changes in the city also affect Superman's progress in the game. The game is slated to be released November 20 this year so while waiting, check out these cool artworks for Superman Returns:

  
 

PSP_Bling Freshmilk's cool Table Top Rally game has just got even better, with a new version of course! As for you who don't know, its a car-dodging game but with great add-ons like interchangeable background, hot custom cars and cool music. In addition to that, it doesn't need a Lua player since the game was already compiled into a Kxploited Eboot. So your next questions might be, what are new updates on the TTR v0.7b?

According to the developers,the updated version includes:

• New Re-Vamped Soundtrack
• Custom Music
• Music Management (To set your music)
• Movement Management (How fast or slow your car moves)
• Improved Collision detection for Intersection
• Fixed Intro Credits
• Fixed white boxes on some of the cars
• Highscores (Hopefully) Fixed
• Once again, new GFX courtesy of PSP_Bling
• Compatible with windows lua! (if you run the Game.lua first)
  

Freshmilk is also happy to announce that he and Klick will be hosting a competition for a best TTR score in the future so stay tuned for that.

Download: [TTR v0.7b]
Discuss: [Forum Release Thread]

coolguy5678 is currently working on his second TIFF game called TNT Dude, inspired by the game Bomberman. According to the developer, the game is still limited to two players as he wasn't able to work on the AI yet. But he has already spilled some of the controls for this early release of the homebrew. Player 1 would be able to control his bomberman by using the D-pad and in order to drop bomb, one must utilize the left shoulder button. For Player 3, the Face buttons will be used to control his bomberman and the right shoulder button for dropping bombs. Other controls include the Note button for taking screenshots and the Quit button for returning to to the Home page.

The developer has also shared some of his plans for the game which includes:

• AI
• A menu for choosing between 1 player mode, 2 player 1v1 mode and 2 player with computer mode
• Simple powerups (more bombs, more powerful bombs)
• Maybe: more complex powerups
• Maybe: more maps
• Double maybe: A level editor

We will keep you updated on new developments in this cool game, so stay tuned.

Download: [TIFF TNT Dude]
Discuss: [Forum Release Thread]

After many speculations about Pixel's Cave Story, Variant Game Studios has finally confirmed that they are currently developing the game for the PSP. The game will have the same story and features as that of the original game. To those who aren't familiar with Cave Story, it's about a young boy, who has no memory of who he is. He found himself in an underground cavern wherein he meet a resident of a town of rabbit-like creatures called Mimigas. The Mimigas' name is Sue. Together, they try to save the Mimigas from the mad Doctor's evil experiments.

Cave Story debuted as a freeware sidescrolling adventure game for the PC. The PSP game features a vast, adventure-filled area where characters have multiple endings and lots of items and weapons to acquire. Variant  also released the official box art of the game as featured here.

We wonder if people who have downloaded the free game would be willing to pay for a PSP version. We'll find out when the game is released in 2007.

Sonic, Knuckles, Shadow, and Silver continue their friendly competition, this time in an amusement park in Sega's upcoming title Sonic Rivals. These new screenshots show the Carnival Course of the game. Sonic and his friends must speed their way in a race to be the first to reach the finishing line. Coursing their way through the carnival requires not only speed but also strategy and fighting power as the carnival contains a myriad of hazardous traps and obstacles, and avoiding Dr. Eggman all the while.

The Carnival Course is one of the courses in Sonic Rivals' 3D gameplay. Other courses include Waterfall Forest, Desert Course, and Ice Course, to name a few. By collecting cards in the game, players would be able to customize their favorite character. Players can also connect via wireless to race against a friend and put trading cards on the line for even more multiplayer challenges. The game is expected to be released 17th of November this year. Check out these new screens:

More screens after the jump!

The world-renowned pet beagle in the long-running comic strip "Peanuts" has acquired the skill of flying in the upcoming title for PSP, Snoopy vs the Red Baron. Taking control of Sopwith Camel plane, Snoopy must battle the infamous Red Baron in a variety of aerial dogfights, missions and races. As for those who doesn't know, Red Baron is a Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen's moniker. Von Richthofen is a national hero of Germany and is the most successful fighter pilot of World War I.

Will the lovable canine be able to track the Red Baron's whereabouts and defeat the flying ace in an aerial fight? Although not much info have been put into light about the game, some of the details include multiplayer modes in team and versus gameplay and battle modes. It also features 50+ single player missions and customizable planes flying across six unique environments.

Set to be released this fall, Snoopy vs the Red Baron is a perfect game for kids of all ages as it features a simple control system. Aside from that, the visuals are vivid and colorful with aerial combats taking over waters and lands of the imaginary version of France. The game also features a variety of Charles Schulz' original "Peanuts" characters like Woodstock and Sally. Check out the bunch of new screens from the game:

More screens after the jump!