Nilpferd

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Variants

The first new version was actually a revision in early 1996, produced in response to complaints that PlayStations were overheating. Sony did not change the technical aspects or the cosmetics but did remove the RCA ports left over from the Japanese release. The parallel port (which was mostly unused by Sony) was also removed to reduce production costs. Sony also slightly improved the laser assembly.

Many gamers experienced skipping full-motion video or dreaded physical "ticking" noises coming from their PlayStations. The problem appears to have come from poorly placed vents leading to overheating in some environments — the plastic moldings inside the console would warp very slightly and create knock-on effects with the laser assembly. The solution was to ensure the console was sat on a surface which dissipated heat efficiently in a well vented area, or raise the unit up slightly by propping something at its edges. A common fix for already affected consoles was to turn the PlayStation sideways or upside-down (thereby using gravity to cancel the effects of the warped interior) although some gamers smacked the lid of the PlayStation to make a game load or work.

Sony then released a version dubbed "Dual Shock", which included a controller with 2 analog thumbsticks and a built in force-feedback feature.

Another version that was colored blue (as opposed to regular console units that were grey in color) was available to game developers and select press. Later versions of this were colored green - on a technical level, these units were almost identical to the retail units, but had a different CD controller in them that did not require the region code found on all pressed disks, since they were intended to be used with CD-R media for debugging - this also allowed the use of discs from different regions, but this was not officially supported, and different debug stations existed for each region. The two different color cases were not cosmetic - the original blue debug station (DTL-H100x, DTL-H110x) contained "Revision B" silicon, the same as the early retail units (these units had silicon errata that needed software workarounds), the green units (DTL-H120x) had Rev. C hardware. As part of the required tests, you had to test your title on both. Contrary to popular belief, the RAM was the same as the retail units at 2MB. The firmware was nearly identical - the only significant change was that debug printf()s got sent to the serial port if the title didn't open it for communications - this used a DTL-H3050 serial cable (the same as the one used for the Yaroze).

A white version was also produced that had the ability to play VCDs - this was only sold in Asia, since that format never really caught on anywere else. From a developer perspective, the white PSX could be treated exactly like any other NTSC:J PlayStation.

Launch

The PlayStation was launched in Japan on December 3, 1994, the United States on September 9, 1995, Europe on September 29, 1995 and Asia-Pacific in November 1995. In America, Sony enjoyed a very successful launch with titles of almost every genre including Battle Arena Toshinden, Twisted Metal, Warhawk, Philosoma, and Ridge Racer. Almost all of Sony's and Namco's launch titles went on to produce numerous sequels.

Launch price in the American market: US$ 299.00,[4] a price point later used by its successor, the PlayStation 2.

The PlayStation was also able to generate interest with a unique slew of ad campaigns. Many of the ads released at the time of launch were full of ambiguous content which had many gamers rabidly debating their meanings. The most well-known launch ads include the "Enos Lives" campaign, and the "U R Not e" ads (the "e" in "U R Not e" was always colored in red, to symbolize the word "ready", and the "Enos" meant "ready Ninth Of September", the U.S. launch date). The Enos ad could also be read as Sony written backward with phonetic sound of "E" replacing the "y". It is believed that these ads were an attempt to play off the gaming public's suspicion towards Sony as an unknown, untested entity in the video game market. The PlayStation 3 slogan, "PLAY B3YOND", resembles this slogan, as the 3 is red.

History

The first conceptions of the PlayStation date back to 1986. Nintendo had been attempting to work with disk technology since the Famicom, but the medium had problems. Its rewritable magnetic nature could be easily erased (thus leading to a lack of durability), and the disks were a piracy danger. Consequently, when details of CDROM/XA (an extension of the CD-ROM format that combines compressed audio, visual and computer data, allowing all to be accessed simultaneously) came out, Nintendo was interested. CDROM/XA was being simultaneously developed by Sony and Philips. Nintendo approached Sony to develop a CD-ROM add-on, tentatively titled the "SNES-CD". A contract was struck, and work began. Nintendo's choice of Sony was due to a prior dealing: Ken Kutaragi, the person who would later be dubbed "The Father of PlayStation," was the individual who had sold Nintendo on using the Sony SPC-700 processor for use as the 8 channel ADPCM sound synthesis set in the Super Famicom/SNES console through an impressive demonstration of the processor's capabilities.

Sony also planned to develop another, Nintendo compatible, Sony-branded console, but one which would be more of a home entertainment system playing both Super Nintendo cartridges and a new CD format which Sony would design. This was also to be the format used in SNES-CD discs, giving a large degree of control to Sony despite Nintendo's leading position in the video gaming market.

In 1989, the SNES-CD was to be announced at the June CES . However, when Hiroshi Yamauchi read the original 1988 contract between Sony and Nintendo, he realized that the earlier agreement essentially handed Sony complete control over any and all titles written on the SNESCD-ROM format. Yamauchi was furious; deeming the contract totally unacceptable, he secretly cancelled all plans for the joint Nintendo-Sony SNES CD attachment. Indeed, instead of announcing their partnership, at 9 am the day of the CES, Nintendo chairman Howard Lincoln stepped onto the stage and revealed that they were now allied with Philips, and were planning on abandoning all the previous work Nintendo and Sony had accomplished. Lincoln and Minoru Arakawa had, unbeknownst to Sony, flown to Philips headquarters in Europe and formed an alliance of a decidedly different nature — one that would give Nintendo total control over its licenses on Philips machines.

The 9am CES announcement was a complete shock. Not only was it a complete surprise to the show goers (Sony had only just the previous night been optimistically showing off the joint project under the "Play Station" brand), but it was seen by many in the Japanese business community as a massive betrayal: a Japanese company snubbing another Japan-based company in favor of a European one was considered absolutely unthinkable in Japanese business.

After the collapse of the joint project, Sony considered halting their research, but ultimately the company decided to use what they had developed so far and make it into a complete, stand alone console. This led to Nintendo filing a lawsuit claiming breach of contract and attempted, in U.S. federal court, to obtain an injunction against the release of the Play Station, on the grounds that Nintendo owned the name[citation needed]. The federal judge presiding over the case denied the injunction. Thus, in October 1991, the first incarnation of the new Sony PlayStation was revealed; it is theorized that only 200 or so of these machines were ever produced.

By the end of 1992, Sony and Nintendo reached a deal whereby the "Sony Play Station" would still have a port for SNES games, but Nintendo would own the rights and receive the bulk of the profits from the games, and the SNES would continue to use the Sony-designed audio chip. However, at this point, Sony realized that the SNES technology was getting long in the tooth, and the next generation of console gaming was around the corner: work began in early 1993 on reworking the "Play Station" concept to target a new generation of hardware and software; as part of this process the SNES cartridge port was dropped, the space between the names was removed, and the PlayStation was born.

PlayStation

The Sony PlayStation (プレイステーション, Pureisutēshon?) is a video game console of the fifth generation, first produced by Sony Computer Entertainment in the mid-1990s. The original PlayStation was the first of the ubiquitous PlayStation series of console and hand-held game devices, which has included successor machines including the Net Yaroze, PSone (a smaller version of the original), PocketStation, PlayStation 2, a revised, slimline PS2, PlayStation Portable, PSX (Japan only), and PlayStation 3. By March 2005, the PlayStation/PSone had shipped a total of over 100.49 million units, becoming the first home console to ever reach the 100 million mark.

Ein Lama in Yokohama

"Ein Lama in Yokohama" is the second single released by animated German crocodile, Schnappi, released in 2005.

Track Listings

Ein Lama in Yokohama
Ein Lama in Yokohama (Remix)
Das Kleine Krokodil (Album Version)

Schnappi, das kleine Krokodil

"Das Kleine Krokodil" is the debut single by animated cartoon crocodile, Schnappi released in 2005

Track Listings

Das Kleine Krokodil (Original Schnappi Mix)
Das Kleine Krokodil (Kroko Italo Mix)
Das Kleine Krokodil (Nil Party Mix)
Das Kleine Krokodil (Kairo Pop Mix)
Das Kleine Krokodil (Kleiner Schnapper Mix)
Das Kleine Krokodil (Original Schnappi Beat Mix)
Das Kleine Krokodil (Santa Schnappi X-Mas Mix)
Das Kleine Krokodil (Original Schnappi Karaoke Mix)
Das Kleine Krokodil Video (Original Mix)
Das Kleine Krokodil Video (Kairo Pop Mix)

Schnappi und Seine Freunde

"Schnappi und Seine Freunde" is the debut album of animated German crocodile, Schnappi and was released in 2005.

Track listing

"Schnappi Das Kleine Krokodil"
"Mahlzeit"
"Ein Pinguin"
"Ein Lama in Yokohama"
"Känguru"
"Sieben Hummeln"
"Ri-Ra-Rad"
"Krötenkäpt'n"
"Teddybärtanz"
"Hase Moppel"
"Das Kleine Nilpferd"
"Abends Am Nil"
"Schnappi (Karaoke Version)"
"Mahlzeit (Karaoke Version)"
"Ein Lama in Yokohama (Karaoke Version)"
"Krötenkäpt'n (Karaoke Version)"
"Das Kleine Nilpferd (Karaoke Version)"

Monday, November 06, 2006

Success

In 2004 Schnappi became very popular on the Internet. In December of that year, the song Schnappi, das kleine Krokodil was released on CD. The single reached #1 on the German Pop-Charts on January 3, 2005.
This phenomenon is claimed to refute the notion that sharing music over the Internet is harmful to sales figures. The huge commercial success of Schnappi may not have been possible without P2P networks, as well as news of the song being passed via word of mouth.
A bootleg translation into English was recorded and released on the Internet on the 20th February, 2005 by the Bronx artist DJ Damien (in conjunction with b0n3m4n, and featuring vocals by French Girl). Somehow, despite being an unofficial cover, this version has made it onto the "official Schnappi website in English" and the original recording artist was said to be "very glad" Schnappi had "made it" to England, referring to the "English version" in an interview with The Guardian newspaper. Other translations by collaborations involving DJ Damien include a French version "Crocky le Petit Crocodile", and a forthcoming Japanese version "Togetogeshi, chiisai wani" (刺々し、小さい鰐).
The song reached number one in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, whilst reaching the top 10 in Australia and New Zealand. The song was released in the UK on Monday 3rd October 2005, but it only reached the bottom end of the UK Singles Chart top 40.
Alternative versions of the song - varying from simple remixes of the basic vocal track, to a full cover version by Belgian techno group Dynamite - were also at numbers seven and ten in Belgium, and at number two in the Netherlands.
Swedish "humor metal" band Black Ingvars also recorded a cover version in heavy metal style with Rammstein-like vocals. The song was released on a compilation album in Sweden.
A flash movie, Up Skit Creek Vol. 2 by Andrew Kepple, features an animutated version of Steve Irwin ("The Crocodile Hunter"), stalking Schnappi and eventually trapping him in a strong grip- evidently too strong; Schnappi's neck had been "Schapped". Steve Irwin referred to him as, "the little German buggar who won't shut the hell up!" in lament terms.
With the popularity of the Crazy Frog ringtone, it was only a matter of time before Schnappi was also covered this way, and in August 2005 Jamba! released Schnappi in a number of downloadable formats.

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Discography

Albums
Schnappi und Seine Freunde (2004)
Schnappi's Winterfest (2005)

Singles
Schnappi, Das Kleine Krokodil (2004)
Ein Lama in Yokohama (2005).
Jing! Jingeling! (2005)

Playstation video game
In 2005, Phenomedia released a Schnappi video game for Sony's Playstation games console. The game was only released in Germany, and might possibly be one of Europe's last Playstation 1 games.

The game is actually 3 games in 1:

Schnappi Schnapp! : A fly eating game

Schnappi Denk! : A memory game

Schnappi Tanz! : A dancing game