Drakon is back with another squishy release. He's "ported" JellyCar from its Xbox 360, PC, and iPhone incarnation to a PSP-compatible version.

*Update* Tutorial on map loading in the full article.

Download: JellyCar v1.0 for PSP
Download: JellyCar v1.1 Level Editor install (on PC)
Visit: QJ.NET PSP development forum

Back in the day when the world was simple, gamers were pretty happy with what they played coming from the big publishers. All they had to do was buy a console, select a few initial games to play through, and when they finally get sick of their titles, they wait a few months until the developers release a new game and then pray real hard that they end up liking it.

That was the scenario in the last few generations of console gaming. Not until the 32-bit age was over did we see the first semblances of games created by gamers themselves on console platforms. Obviously, not a lot of people had the desire or know-how to create their own game cartridges, and even if they did, there was no internet to serve as the stage where they can rant and rave about their genius.

Gaming is a business. As a matter of fact, it's one of the biggest entertainment industries in the world and it grows as we speak. The production of games has always been based on studies where companies try to dig real deep in the hearts of target markets and try everything to appease the creative hunger of their patrons to ultimately get the market to buy the games that they put out.

In the documentary "The Architects of Cool" it was revealed that multinational brands, including game development outfits actually have entire departments who monitor, consult and analyze "cool kids." These are kids who are leaders in their peer groups and have the highest propensity to set trends because of their reputations. By basing their next product models on ideas of these trend-setters, they increase the chances that what they release will be the next big thing. (Though the concept behind fat plumbers in red jump suits fighting spiky reptiles may not have been a product of this method.)

Given the fact that cheerleaders and jocks have secretly been getting their way all along even with the games we play, the question now rises - what about the geek's ideas? Do they matter at all? Does anyone care what the fat kid thinks about Mortal Kombat? Fifteen years ago, the answer was no.

The full article awaits after the jump!

In a Gamespot coverage of the Phil Harrison interview with Newsweek games correspondent N'Gai Croal over at D.I.C.E 07, our ever-so-paranoid news-hamsters found the passage below. This is supposedly after Croal's set of questions were done, and they let the audience ask questions.

11:05: The next question talks about XNA (without directly mentioning it) and how it puts some of the power of making games into the hands of average users. Is Sony considering a response? Phil says that Sony started that with the Net Yaroze on the PS, continued it with Linux on the PS2, and is now continuing it with Linux on the PS3. Sony will continue to support that kind of homebrew and organized development initiatives.

The follow-up asks the obvious question about the PSP's place in all this. Phil claims that the PSP isn't well suited for homebrew. Croal name drops Dark_AleX, the hacker that's been busting open the PSP's firmware lately and opening it up for homebrew. Harrison has a sort of cryptic response about future announcements.

Now, before you folks ready your pitchforks and your vegetables, or maybe even perhaps your flying phalli, give us ample time to thank our news-hamsters. Here magical, mystical, news-hamsters of joy and joy-ness, have a food pellet!

Okay, that aside, let us re-emphasize what Phil has just claimed (that of course, if the Gamespot coverage is accurate): The PSP is NOT suited for homebrew.

Not suited? Not suited?!!!! Sigh. We'll leave the obligatory shouting of expletives, and the generation of image macros up to you guys.

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UPDATE: Okay, since some of you folks who have commented requested for some quotes from the N'Gai Croal interview with Phil Harrison, here's a portion of the interview that directly relates to the PSP (as reported by Gamasutra):

Croal: "Late last year, you told MTV News regarding the PSP, 'Our achievement has been to deliver console-quality gaming in the palm of your hand. But that could also be considered a missed opportunity -- that we have yet to really deliver PSP games that speak with their own voice and stand for what the machine can do on its own.' With the PSP’s features, why is it taking developers so long to create unique experiences?"

Harrison: "I don’t mean to belittle developers, but we’ve only managed to recreate PS2 in the palm in your hand. I think we can go deeper, I think we can explore more features of the machine, connectivity, social aspects, media aspects, and integrate it into game design that is unique to that format. It’s not a missed opportunity so much as a future opportunity."

As for quotes of Harrison actually saying that the PSP is not suitable for homebrew, we don't have his exact words... But, as mentioned above, the Gamespot coverage (which you can get access to by clicking the via link below) reports Harrison to have claimed "that the PSP isn't well suited for homebrew". He said this (as Gamespot reports) in a portion of the interview where questions were handed over to the audience. Got that?

Anyhow, there's still something slightly wrong about saying that "we can explore more features of the machine, connectivity, social aspects, media aspects, and integrate it into game design that is unique to that format" and then later saying that "the PSP isn't well suited for homebrew."