CRI announces free PS3 middleware

CRI has announced that it will be releasing the PS3 version of its FileMajik Pro ‘load time reducing’ middleware for free to all licensed PS3 developers.

The technology uses CRI’s compression and expansion technology to reduce load times to under half of their normal duration, as well as organising where data is written on the disc to minimise seek times. The PS3 version also utilises the SPUs to decompress data with optimal speed.

FileMajik Pro is set to launch in October of this year, and will in addition support Wii, Wii Ware, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PSP, PC and DS. The PS3 version will be free to licensed developers from that time until March 2010.

It is currently unknown if FileMajik Pro will be localised for Western developers and whether this offer will apply worldwide. For more information, check out the CRI FileMajik Pro website (Japanese).