Gearfuse

If you’re one of the lucky people who own a first-gen PS3 model (back when WiFi wasn’t standard and shit), your system has what’s called an Emotion Engine chip. Think of it as an extra heart for your PS3 that allows you to have a full Playstation 2 inside. Sony removed it a few years back to cut costs and now only a very limited number of titles are supported. To boot, Sony is also selling a lot of PSX games on the Playstation Network, so the incentive to add the EE back into the system is low.

But there is hope. According to a patent filing from last year (December, specifically), Sony is working on a way to compile and decompile the Emotion Engine. This will allow PS2 backwards-compatibility through software emulation, thus keeping us fanboys happier than ever.

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Lately, I’ve been playing my PS3 quite a bit. But aside from UFC 2009: Unleashed, I haven’t been playing titles built for the system. No, I’ve been dropping $5 or $10 here and there and replaying classic PSOne titles. For $9.99, you can download games like Resident Evil: Director’s Cut and Final Fantasy VII and play them in all their glory with significantly decreased load times thanks to the PS3’s hard drive.

There’s plenty of old school titles available for download on PSN. And to boot, they’re cheap, fun and there’s a broad selection of gaming genres to choose from. If you’ve been bored with your PS3 as of late, may I recommend downloading a few of these classics? It’s like reliving the 1990s all over again.

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Over the weekend, Palm launched its comeback kid, the Pre. Equipped with a WebOS, multi-touch gestures and the Spring network, it seems as if someone is finally ready to take on Apple and the iPhone. So what went down? Generally, response was positive. Reviews around the ‘net indicate the Pre is a solid phone and that Sprint’s network works like a charm. Most stores have sold out around the country as Palm has supplied limited inventory, probably on purpose.

But unfortunately, I have a feeling the Pre will be overshadowed by today’s WWDC announcements regarding the iPhone 3GS. And the fact that most people will not switch from their current carrier to Sprint is going to hurt Palm big time. The solution? Palm needs to make a huge push next year with Verizon and AT&T to get the Pre into the spotlight. Maybe then it’ll be able to give Apple a real scare.

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“Barry! Where’s Barry?!?!”

If you recognize that quote, you, the master of all things lockpicking, is a big Resident Evil fan. As with most video game series, the original is always the best. So if you lost your old PSX copy of Resident Evil: Director’s Cut, have no fear. Capcom will be releasing the Director’s Cut version of the game on the Playstation Network this week. For $9.99, you can relive classic moments like the Tyrant battle, the terrible voice acting and of course, the massive amount of red herbs lying around the mansion.

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These adorable little devices called Poken are used to exchange social networking info among new found friends who have their own Poken. No one cares to jot down email addresses, user IDs and screen names when they’re in a rush. So, the Poken have been created as a quick way to exchange such information in a matter of seconds. All it takes is a ‘high five’ from your Poken to your new found friend’s Poken. RF technology then sends the info between the devices. The next time you log on to your favorite site, your profiles are linked.

Poken are just $20 dollars and are capable of storing up to 64 contacts before each upload. Each time you add a new contact, your Poken’s hand will light up green. When you approach your limit for contacts, an orange warning light will show from the Poken’s hand, warning you that you’re being too much of a social slut. When all is said and done, you can use your online Poken account to choose which of your profiles you want to share. A precaution in case you want to prevent a shady new friend from accessing personal information. Goodbye business cards, hello Poken!

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Noby Noby Boy is the latest upcoming title from Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi. It’ll be hitting the Playstation Network in early 2009 and most of us will buy it. Why? You’ll be stretching a colorful rainbow penis around in 3-D space for hours. Twirl it around, make it into a pretzel, whatever. Compete against people online to see who can stretch their penis the longest. Something like that. Either way, 1UP has a hands on preview you’ll want to read about for a better understanding.

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Say goodbye to Google’s attempt at making a virtual social network. Announced back in July, Google is now closing the door on its Google Labs project “Lively” at the end of this year and says it wants, quote:

“to ensure that we prioritize our resources and focus more on our core search, ads and apps business.”

I guess it’s back to Second Life for me. Maybe I’ll start an online band and perform for other users of Second Life. I’ve always had an intense fear of crowds, yet find comfort and support with virtual crowds.

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If you’ve ever wanted to build your own Snake game, you could display from a building, you’ve got to start small first. Good thing Hack A Day’s Ian Lesnet lets you know how to construct a networked LED graffiti wall from scratch.  Showing off a one meter square, five by five matrix of LEDs inspired by Daft Punk, Ian thoroughly explains the step-by-step process to making your own.

Soon enough, you’ll be controlling all the lights displayed on this thing via the Internet. It’s very simple to manipulate with Javascript and it won’t take you very long to do. Happy hacking!

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Going to Beijing for the upcoming Olympic games? Well, if you weren’t aware, China is not a democracy. Their nation-wide firewall leaves access to certain websites blocked, dulling your internet experience. No worries, thanks to Germany’s Chaos Computer Club’s USB dongle dubbed The Freedom Stick. For just $30, this device is preloaded with software which will secure your connection, routing traffic around the world through anonymous computers. The commies will never know what hit ‘em.

The stick will only be available during the games, which hopefully won’t piss the Chinese government off too much.  It’s not made of LEGOs and it’s not a Bluetooth adapter, but it’ll be more productive at a fraction of the price.  Be warned: if you find yourself in a Chinese prison for messing with their networks, the Chaos Computer Club will not bail you out and neither will your own government.

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PacketWars had its own project going on the expo floor. Complete with a referee who was ready to smack any hacker who steps out of the line with any shenanigans that violate the terms of service. It’s competitive network combat, no holds barred. Bring your own laptop, plug in and defend your territory.

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