Round-Up: PSP on TV, Japanese DS Survey, PhysX-Powered Chess

Today's round-up includes information on a sneaky PSP-to-TV device, a new Japanese survey relating to the Nintendo DS, and a surprising new physics license deal for Ageia, as well as a reminder for our Question Of The Week, plus the latest Gamasutra product news, and job postings. - Asian Toy Source has announced the upcoming release of a "PSP on TV" peripheral, which does just as the name implies: display the PlayStation Portable's video source onto a TV screen. The peripheral will be plug-and-play, requiring no tampering with the system, and will work with the PSP's games as well as movies. "This is the most anticipated PSP accessory ever!" claims Asian Toy Source spokesman Michael Borer. "Most people expected Sony to release a PSP to TV accessory, but they have let the customer down. This is similar to what Nintendo did by offering no backlight for Gameboy Advance. Where there's a need, there's a niche!" The device will be released in November 2005 for $99.95. - Game Science has translated the results of a survey by C-News, polling 1000 Japanese Nintendo DS owners on their thoughts on the portable system. The #1 answer for "What was your main reason for buying a DS?" was that a game the user wanted had been released for it, while the most popular game based on responses was Nou wo Kitaeru Otona no DS Training (Adult Brain Training), with 40% of respondents. Male respondents chose strategy or problem-solving games as their most wanted type of upcoming title (34.6%), while female respondents went with easy-to play games that worked in short bursts (43.2%). 32% of the overall respondents said that they would now be somewhat interested in buying a Nintendo Revolution upon its release. - ChessBase GmbH has taken the unusual step of licensing Ageia's PhysX hardware-accelerated physics engine for an upcoming chess game. Fritz 9, its upcoming release, will incorporate not only the physics engine but also 3D graphics and surround sound. "Fritz 9 is indeed the ultimate chess game, and Ageia PhysX technology is the ultimate physics solution for our game engine," said ChessBase managing director Jeroen van den Belt. "Ageia PhysX technology helps us continue to offer the magic of chess in new ways for new generations of players." Left unsaid by Mr. van den Belt was precisely what the physics engine's role in the traditionally sedate board game will be... - Gamasutra would also like to remind game professionals to answer our latest Question Of The Week, with the question currently in progress being: "Do you think that releasing the vast majority of major video games in the run-up to Christmas best benefits developers, publishers, and consumers?" Answers are welcome via our Question Of The Week response page until October 24. - Also updated today: product news including Transgaming's launch of its SwiftShader software renderer, Eidos' licensing of Quazal's networking technology for the latest Commandos game, and today's Gamasutra job ads, including positions from Activision, Datascope Recruitment, Liquid Entertainment, MVP Online, Octopi, The Collective, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.