Sony PSP Tunnelling Works

An anonymous reader writes "The Sony PSP is compatible with Xlink Kai (a multi-platform tunnelling application allowing users to play online for free). Team Xlink is reporting that the WiFi module of the PSP conforms to the recognized standards of wireless networking. This will allow them to add support to the PSP much more quickly than for the Nintendo DS . The team is reportedly working create arenas for the Sony PSP's JAP launch titles which support WiFi play."

wondering

[Korgrath]

I wonder why they just don't make these things net ready? I mean, I suppose the demand for net gaming on a handheld is limited... but as this article shows, it wouldn't be that difficult... the hardware is already there!

Re:wondering

[koi88]

I wonder why they just don't make these things net ready?

The internet is just not yet ready for gaming. Besides, even if it was possible, there is no demand for this kind of feature.

Interesting...

[Firehawke]

There's definitely a bit of a bias on their site, but you have to remember that these are hacks for a system that was NOT designed for such online play in the first place. Can you blame them for not following full specification if they're not intending it to be used as a full implementation?

I'm not saying it wasn't short-sighted of them, but there's a bit more to the picture than laziness.

About Kai and the Nintendo DS

[kuwan]

A little about XLink Kai:

XLink Kai is a global gaming network - bringing together XBox, Playstation 2 and Gamecube users, in one integrated community. It is software running on your PC or Macintosh that allows you to play system-link enabled games online for free. Kai is the only service that is not console specific, and boasts one of the friendliest communites available.

Apparently they're working on providing tunneling for the Nintendo DS but the DS doesn't conform to 802.11 wireless standards. This may be because Nintendo wants to keep things proprietary or low-power, but they seem to think otherwise:

Finally, I'd just like to say that somebody should really send a PSP unit to whoever designed the WiFi module for the Nintendo DS - it's a very, very nice implementation - and adheres correctly to the recognised standards for wireless networking. I know others may argue that Nintendo uses their non-standard wireless architecture to "save power" - I'd like to officially confirm that as a crock-of-shit - Nintendo use their own "proprietary protocol" - because, it seems, they couldn't be bothered to / ran out if time trying to write a proper IP stack for the DS - so they used some horrible thrown-together frame format, used a very low-range tranceiver, and called it innovative. Anyway - my views on the DS hardware aren't relevant - what is relevant is that Kai will support both of these devices - one now, the other later - once I've finished jumping through all Nintendo's hoops.

This definitely looks like an interesting service and one that I'd like to try out.

--
Free Nintendo DS [ds4free.com]

Re:About Kai and the Nintendo DS

[kuwan]

I agree with that reasoning and I'd comment more about it if I knew more about the DS' implementation. It probably just wasn't designed to connect to a normal TCP/IP network, let alone an online network.

Also note that games which use an IP stack and connect to the 'net are being developed for the DS as we speak...

This is interesting, do you have any links about these games? That would be pretty cool.

--
Free Nintendo DS [ds4free.com]

Re:About Kai and the Nintendo DS

[TechniMyoko]

I really don't se why the Kai developers are badmouthing the DS' short range wireless implementation

They explained it perfectly.

go through the hassle of making a complex IP stack when you only have a limited amount of consoles in a short area?

Thats the whole point. Limited DS's in one area, so go online and have access to all of them on the face of the planet (near a hotspot of course), problem solved.

Since routing is not really an issue in such a situation a less complex protocol seems to be best-fit.

Re:About Kai and the Nintendo DS

[KDR_11k]

The DS can use two protocols, one of which is standard WiFi. It doesn't use the WiFi for connecting to DSes at short range. Why should Nintendo make the short-range protocol routable when it has another protocol in the device meant for being routed?

Re:About Kai and the Nintendo DS

[SetupWeasel]

You know nothing. The DS supports both the proprietary format AND 802.11b. Not one or the other... BOTH.

The fact that no game uses the 802.11b format yet may have something to do with the DS's tunneling.

I doubt it, that would mean Nintendo would have to set up a server infrastructure, something they should've done for cube ages ago.

1) I don't think Warp Pipe became a company for no reason.
2) I don't think Nintendo bothered to include 802.11b in the DS if they weren't planning to use it.
3) How much mone

Re:About Kai and the Nintendo DS

[TechniMyoko]

You know nothing. The DS supports both the proprietary format AND 802.11b. Not one or the other... BOTH.

Um, I already know that. The point is no game uses 802.11b yet, they only support nintendo's proprietary one, and I'm not the one who said th quote, the xlink kai guys are, if anyone knows nothing its them not me jerk.

1) I don't think Warp Pipe became a company for no reason.

To tunnel Cube games.

2) I don't think Nintendo bothered to include 802.11b in the DS if they weren't planning to use it.

Muc

Re:About Kai and the Nintendo DS

[Have Blue]

Yeah, saving power in portable devices is such a waste of time. That must explain why the PSP's tiny battery life is already being described as its Achilles' heel and the reason it will lose to the DS.

Re:About Kai and the Nintendo DS

[buffer-overflowed]

No, it conforms to 802.11b(you can sniff DS traffic with Kismet or Netstumbler). That's not the problem. The problem is the upper layers... it's not TCP/IP.

Oh and they've already *supposedly*(according to their forums) tunnelled pictochat. They'll have the DS(and PSP) tunnelled before the PSP hits the states.

JAP?!?!

[Taulin]

"PSP's JAP launch titles"

Jap?! Someone sounds grumpy.

Re:JAP?!?!

[Taulin]

Funny how forieners can forgive, even even after one generation, yet here in America, after MANY generations, we still have people yelling about their ancestors.

Good timing...

[LukeTurner]

I think it's great that Team Xlink got this out so fast... It's a shame that nintendo is as propriatary as ever, I was thinking about buying a DS until I got the news... If you guys haven't tried it ... Xlink Kai works great for xbox online gaming (online Halo 2 for free...) Happy Gaming

It's so obvious!!

[Lord States]

The PSP has a great screen, MPEG4 playback and USB 2.0, but little storage space. The iPod has USB 2.0 and plenty of storage. Any bets on how long it will take to create an app that resides on the PSP memory stick and uses the iPod for storage so the PSP becomes a video Jukebox? If I could pull the previous nights information from my Tivo and automatically sync it with the iPod, then I could watch Adult Swim during my morning meetings.

Re:It's so obvious!!

[Agret]

You can use any Flash Drive I think.