The PSX-Scene.com – Legal Playstation News for Enthusiasts

Revisions:
4-5-11: Initial release.

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Do you own a Sony game device? Maybe its a PS1, PS2, or a PSP. Did you know that all Sony game products are jail-breakable or moddable? I am a proud owner of several Sony devices, and I have taken great joy in jailbreaking them to do things that the consumer was not able to do in the first place. The greatest feat of it all is being able to make backups of my games so then I can preserve the original copies.

However, we know that the Playstation scene is a constantly moving force. It is can be tough sometimes to find good and legit news that isn’t faked, or maybe you want to know about the latest homebrew programs or hacks for your favorite Sony device. Where do you get started?

Bywifi vs Speedbit

Before we start i would like to apologize for not updating also that i want to make a professional style blog with all the information there. I was going to make a YouTube video with this im not sure if I should or will 😛

I’m sure most of the underground watches YouTube and other video streaming sites videos on a fairly regular basis. But what if the video takes too long to load?

These two programs both boast video accelerating functionality but which is better?

Let’s start of with a simple pro’s and cons comparison shall we… well yes coz im writing this and I can do what I want 😛

Speed bit supports windows XP+ and a MAC beta

Bywifi supports from windows 95 to windows 7

SpeedBit Video Accelerator: Pro’s

1. Great user interface
2. Sleek
3. A free version which supports up to HQ video’s
4. 500+ sites supported
5. Descent support
6. Easy to use

 And the Cons

1. You need to pay for full version to unlock HD support
2. Doesn’t seem to work after a while
3. Some sites not supported

Bywifi Media Accelerator: Pro’s

1. It’s FREE!
2. Quick installation
3. Fast video download
4. Easy to use
5. Supports all sites ( so far)
6. Speeds up Normal, HQ and HD Video’s
7. If a video if loaded once it will load instantly

And the Cons

1. Bad User interface
2. Seems to save video’s in a folder adding up to 2 gigs then starts overwriting
3. Crashes occasionally ( Rarely if not at all)

With these in mind i should time the time it takes to load a YouTube video in all formats. The video will be GameDexterity’s The Beginning of the End is the Beginning at 9:15 * These tests were performed by me*

*Be aware that this is a Adsl 2+ Connection* * Video must be a full red bar for the timer to stop*

No Video Accelerator

• Regular (360p)                = 6:00 minutes   
• High Quality (480p)      = 8:54 minutes
• High definition (720p) = 10+ minutes

SpeedBit Video Accelerator

• Regular (360p)                = 2:27 minutes
• High Quality (480p)      = 3:05 minutes
• High definition (720p) = Will say it’s accelerating but isn’t. ( from what i gathered its about 5 minutes plus)

Bywifi Media Accelerator

• Regular (360p)                = <10 seconds
• High Quality (480p)      = 0;26 seconds
• High definition (720p) = 2:08 minutes

WIth this said ultimately it’s up to you what you use.

Speedbit = 6/10

Bywifi       = 8.5/10

Other

• Game dexterity video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HzJ025sScU
• bywifi                                : http://www.bywifi.com/
• Speedbit                           : http://www.videoaccelerator.com/
• My YouTube.. well I  don’t have an account uploading video’s for no but maby in the near future.

Want to contact me or play some games or just chat im usually on skype so add “mwc.arms” no “..”

The New iPhone 3.0. Update – Unlock and Jailbreak…Windows…2G/3G/3GS

Its been a really long time since I last posted here. But I feel it’s my duty to keep the ‘Underground Community’ informed about the information I have access to. Personally, I feel that the ‘Underground’ has lost its true meaning, its sense of presence – after 3 WordPress bans and removing of  ‘Objectionable’ Content on the blog. I still believe that V1 i.e. this blog is a better way to communicate with the community rather than V2 as this blog is better known. Also, I feel that this ‘ban’ has limited my potential in terms of a writer here.

iPhone 3.0 Explained

Now to move on to the topic for which this post was actually written. I’m sure that most of you have heard of the new 3.0 update from Apple to the iPhone; and the subsequent release 3.0.1. If you have not, then let me give you a brief expansion:

The iPhone 3.0 update came out with the iPhone 3GS on June 17, 2009. It can be compared to the Windows 7 release: much awaited features were added which increased stability and enchanced user experiece. Apple finally incorporated many of the features we asked for 🙂 Among them, some are:

1. Copy and Paste Text
2. Copy and Paste Photos
3. Search Spotlight – Search your iPhone for anything
4. Search in mail, Calendar and iPod
5. Landscape Keyboard in SMS, Mail and Notes
6. Multimedia Messaging or MMS
7. Support for new Calendar types
8. Improved Stocks Application
9. Connect iPhones/iTouches with bluetooth
10. Notes syncing with iTunes

Tunngle – The Hamachi Killer – Learn How To Play LAN Enabled PC Games Over The Internet For Free!

Revisions:

7-30-09: Initial release.  Added another section for Underground Gamer requests.

7-31-09: Added World in Conflict and Warcraft 3 gamer request.

8-01-09: Added No One Lives Forever 2 gamer request, Far Cry 2, and Gears of War.

8-02-09: Changed the game request section slightly.  Now it has a “Known to work Straight Up” part of it.

8-3-09: Added notes to the games section for quake 3 and call of duty 1.

8-7-09: Added Worms Armaggedon and Worms World Party to games section.

8-8-09: Added hamachi channel. I hope I am not going to regret this.

8-11-09: Added Call of Duty 2 and Gears of War to verified games list.

8-13-09: Added install Tunngle demonstration video.

10-31-09: Added a long list of games: Battlefield Vietnam, Borderlands, Demigod, Duke Nukem, GTA IV, Killing Floor, Left 4 Dead, Need for Speed Most Wanted, Shift, and Underground 2; Red Faction Guerilla, Resident Evil 5, Section 8, Serious Sam – The SEcond Encounter, Splinter Cell – Pandora Tomorrow, Starcraft, Street Fighter IV, Titan Quest, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3

2-7-10: Added Troubleshooting Tunngle Video

3-1-10: Removed old videos.

4-7-10: Yes, I am going to fix the pictures. Will do that tomorrow.

7-3-10:  Added note to the game list section. There are lots of LAN games, so way in hell I will update this list for all the hundreds of LAN games I have tested.

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Foreword:  I am very excited.  This is definitely one of my favorite posts for 2009, and as you read further, you will understand why.  This guide is clearly not illegal.  It is simply another method to enable users to play their LAN enabled games over the Internet with friends.  No longer are you bound to be in the basement with your PCs to play LAN games! There is a reason why I spent two long nights working on this guide and the excellent video!  ~ Versatile

If you follow this blog, or know anything about VPN programs, Hamachi is a great program that people can use to play LAN games with each other.  In short, Hamachi was the king for implementing LAN games to play over the Internet.  How it worked is people would join these networks, and Hamachi gives each user a unique IP address.  When you launch a game, the game is tricked into thinking that everyone in the network is on the same LAN, and hence, you can see each other to play the game.

Of course, Hamachi has other useful purposes such as being a great secure chat medium, as well as being an alternative as a safe VPN to tunnel into your PCs and transfer files or encrypt remote transfers or remote administration.

[How To] Burn a PS2 Game (From Torrent) To DVD Using Nero

Foreword: This is one of my favorite tutorials, and re-writing it from scratch is a lot of work.  By doing it over again, I hope to convey to you the awesomeness of the PS2, and if you are an owner of it, you need to give it more love than you think it deserves.  It needs you, and you need it.

As usual, The Undergound does not support or advocate piracy.  We support making backups of games that you own.  We realize that sometimes games can be scratched, so making a digital backup is impossible and in lieu of buying the game again, you can download the PS2 game from a torrent.  If you do this method, only do it if you own a retail version of the game.

Downloading games that you do not legally own is illegal, and we want no part of that.  Follow the law.  Play with a conscience mind.  Thank you. ~ Versatile

Revisions:

6-23-09:  Re-release of a classic tutorial.

2-6-10: Removed the youtube link until I upload a new video.

9-27-10: Fixed Nero image.

12-13-12: Fixed Nero image again.

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Introduction

Yes, it is true.  You can make a backup of your PS2 game (for legal purposes of course) to preserve your original game.  However, what do you do if your favorite game has gotten scratched up over the years?  Do you want to go out and buy another copy of it?  Oh wait, Gamestop doesn’t have that game anymore?  What are you going to do?

[How To] Use Emerge Desktop – A Novice’s Guide to Greatness

Revisions:
5-9-09:  Initial Release. More rev’s to come to do into more specifics, screenshots, and third party tools!

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Are you a PC enthusiast?  Does the thought of customizing your PC the way you want it to appear give you shivers down your spine at the mere thought of it?  Of course!  Why do you think websites such as customize.org, deviantart.com, and interfacelift.com exists?  These type of websites can give you themes, wallpapers, and additional items to trick out your desktop.

As a Window’s user, I am getting sick of my Windows XP desktop.  There are programs called Windows Shell Alternatives, in which they replace the entire GUI of Windows with a different interface.  For some, this might be disorienting in the beginning, but after a while, you get used to it.  In today’s guide, I show you one of my favorite open source Windows Shell Replacements – Emerge Desktop!

[How To] Use Bittorrent – Utorrent

Update 4-5-09: Added another youtube video explaining Utorrent options more in depth.

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I love Bittorrent.  Bittorrent is an extremely efficient method of using P2P technology to distribute files across the Internet to the masses.  This post is not a lesson on the technology behind bittorrent. Instead, I am going to show you what you need and how you can start finding software (among other things) on the Internet.  Please note that Bittorrent itself is a legal medium, but the content that you download with Bittorrent may not.  This is a tool, and I am not held responsible for how you use it.

Tools:

Need a Bittorrent client.  I recommend utorrent.  Find it at www.utorrent.com

Get the latest version.  After installing it, it will look like the screen shot below:

Now afterwards you need what is considered a Torrent file.  This is a small 1kb file that tells your Bittorrent client how to download the file.  If you go to http://www.torrentz.com and search for Ubuntu, you will see many links.  I happened to find a link and download it off of mininova.org.

After you add it to your torrent client, the file will start downloading.  Once the file finishes downloading, you can then decide what you want to do whether that is install the program, or burn it to a disc.

What is important to achieve faster Bittorrent speeds is to enable the ports on your router.  For a good guide on this, go to www.portforward.com and find the utorrent guide for your router.

When you go to the speed guide in Utorrent, you can specify a manual port:

To see a video of this in action, watch my video below for a quick tutorial on how to setup yourself for Bittorrent usage and port forwarding.

Source:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Mdpb5FH5tY

Below is another video going into some of the other utorrent options.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2V1tx_7wbQ

How to Jailbreak the iPod Touch 2G [2.2.1]

Hey guys.

So if you own an iPod Touch 2G (i’ll be lazy and might write touch), never fear, the jailbreak is finally here!

Ok, that’s not strictly true. The jailbreak has been around for awhile, but it was the tethered version, which required you to connect your touch to the computer every time you wanted to reboot.

A few days ago, someone was finally able to crack the final layer and make it such that you don’t need to tether the touch anymore. A few hours later, a program called QuickFreedom was built as a GUI to allow jailbreak.

All you will need is:

-QuickFreedom

-iPod Touch 2.2.1 firmware, which you can download online, through iTunes, or through QuickFreedom itself.

-LIBUSB (which you can install through QuickFreedom)

-an iPod Touch 2G (obviously.)

QuickFreedom works in a 5 step process, it’s actually not too hard to do.

Step 1:

You can download and install all the software you need from QuickFreedom, just make sure to refresh or restart the program when you do that so you can go onward, otherwise you will be stuck here.

Step 2:

Select your options and create a custom firmware. You can save it wherever you want, and you can add a custom bootscreen as well. When I did this, I didn’t use a custom bootscreen, but it should work fine.

Step 3:

This is the pre jailbreak. This was the hardest step for me, I don’t really know why. The whole trick is to get the touch into DFU mode. You can follow the DFU instructions, but it seemed almost impossible to use that, so I just ended up doing the DFU in various ways until I got it. I left iTunes open for the entire process, so you can use it as a check to see if you are doing it properly. It is my guess that QuickFreedom does not detect the DFU perfectly everytime since it told me that I was in DFU but would not let me proceed. Keep at it, you’ll eventually get there.

Here what I finally did at the end. It doesn’t matter if the iPod is on or off.
To do the DFU, hold the Power and Home buttons down for 10 seconds.
After 10 seconds, release the Power button and continue holding the Home button for 8 to 10 more seconds. At some point, iTunes should find an iPod in recovery mode unless you disconnected the iPod. I orginally tried doing this by turning off first, but in the end, I’m not too sure if that really mattered because my touch was in some limbo state between going on and off.

After you DFU, start the pre-jailbreak. WAIT. This is a mistake I almost made and got really lucky on. The log is there to help you, so read it! Do not go onward until you read that the patch was installed correctly. I almost started the next step before the patch was completely installed, this might screw things up, so just be careful.

Step 4:

Using iTunes, install the new software firmware that you built. Hold SHIFT and click Restore in iTunes, and find the custom firmware you built. Let the software install. It might take some time.

Step 5:

You are done! The touch should be jailbroken with Cydia and Installer. Have fun!

Some interesting notes:

I was not able to install more than 9 full pages of apps. I think that’s the limit. At 16 apps per page, thats 144 + 4 (from the dock) to total at 148. I haven’t tested this out, but you can probably use categories from Cydia to put all the apps in folders and get around this. Apps will still be there, but they are hidden away and will only appear if there is some more space (aka deleting old apps).

Thanks to the guys who made QuickFreedom and for http://proudofmylife.net, whose pictures I just copied because I was too lazy to screenshot my own in XP with Jing. If there is a problem, contact us.

Anyway, if you have questions, feel free to ask away! This worked perfectly for me and I’m happy with the results.

Voltaire.

F.lux – Self-Adjusting Monitor Brightness

Let’s face it, a lot of us are using computers longer than we need to. Whether you are at work, or at home, staring at a bright screen all day long can be tiresome and annoying to your eyes.  Ever been in  a situation where it is 1am in the morning, and you know should sleep, but you don’t feel tired because you got “sunlight’ radiating from your monitor?

F.lux is a neat program that will adjust the brightness of your monitor according to the time of day.  If it is early in the morning, the screen is super brite.  As the day progresses, the LCD screen starts to tint a faint orange and the screen becomes more natural and soothing to the eyes.  Check it out here.

7 Web Tools for Web Developers

Well, we certainly hope that everyone is enjoying the Olympics thus far. We support Team USA of course.

Now, there are many web developers out there of all levels. Each developer uses their own tools. Of course, it’s always good to have a large number of tools in the chest. Here are some good tools any dev. should use.

1) Notepad++
This is like a pumped up and pimped out Notepad. You can code in many languages, ranging from HTML/XHTML to PHP, CSS, Java, Javascript, Python, and others. It is a lightweight program that has syntax highlighting, multiple files in a tabbed file system, multi-language support, macroing, page preview, and TextFX, which lets you do things like run HTML Tidy. Now you will never need to suffer through the lack of features in regular old Notepad.

2) Codetch Plugin for Firefox
This puppy is a must-have for users who want to edit code on the fly. This tool is like Dreamweaver except free. It loads extremely fast (I notice no lag time) and it can edit code permanently for any file on your server. This makes validation very simple since you can fix an error right away because the code changes permanently.

3) VIM
This tool is called Visual Editor Improved. It is friendly and easier to use than its original, Visual Editor (VI). VI and VIM are modal editors meaning that the same key can have more than one job depending on the mode you set. It isn’t that intuitive, but it is amazing with efficiency once you get used to it.

4) Emacs
This program is sort of like VI in that it was (and is) more of a Unix/Linux program. However, this program is pretty beast with its custimazations. It has a powerful macro feature like Notepad++, can view and edit the file system, manage remote files, browse the web, check e-mail, and others. This program takes some getting used to. There is a simpler to use version called Xemacs out with standard menus and icons.

5) HTML Validator Plugin for Firefox
This simple plugin simply validates the XHTML on the current website with the W3 Validator. It lists each error with error messages, help on correcting said errors, and syntax highlighting of the error. It also has HTML Tidy to clean up your page.

6) Web Developer Toolbar for Firefox
This toolbar lets you validate your pages, edit pages (not permanently, but you can see what the change looks like), view your page in different sizes and resolutions, and get a speed report. This tool is pumped up with many different little settings to play with that will make any dev’s job easier.

7) Firebug Plugin for Firefox
This plugin lets you inspect you code, view code as an outline, and debug your code. It shows you what parts of your code are affected by lines earlier on. Changes you make are not permanent, but you can view results immediately after a refresh. It structures the code very nicely for ease of use.

Here are 7 non-IDE tool that anyone web dev should use to save money, space, memory on their pcs while speeding up their work.

Enjoy!
Voltaire