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Sony Unveils Portable Playstation
Filly-O-Fish writes "Sony has made an official announcement, and released pictures of its online Playstation. You can go head to head by plugging your mobile phone into it. It's out this month in Japan, and in the UK in September. Full story is at Games online."
One of my main concerns is power source with these... Somehow I don't see people willing to run the LCD version for about 3-5 hours maximun, "Average Laptop battery in my experiance" especially with games like FF7 taking 70+
Other alternatives would include those laptop base batteries, but that would be too heavy and destroy the purpose of portability
and the other option is through and AC adapter, though who would really want to haul around an adapter, wouldn't that be much like carrying around a regular playstation.
My thoughts is that you should just get Playstation emulation software for your laptop for several reasons: Longer battery life (iBook 5-6 hours), larger screen (15.1"), and all the other benefits of a laptop. The only drawback to that option is cost though and you would need to buy a controller.
...and I'm not sure we should trust this Kyle Sagan either.
Whoops... I've never used a cable to connect my Palm to a mobile phone, so I'm anti-cable I suppose. Maybe IrDA is not common in Japanese handsets.
:)
As soon as you have more than two devices, cabling becomes a nightmare - I have a laptop, Palm device and mobile phone, so adding a mobile Playstation would mean as many as four cables.
GPRS and other mobile phone standards would work with a cable, since they go from the mobile to the base station - typically you would run IP over the cable protocol, then the phone routes this out the other side on top of GPRS or whatever. Yes, your mobile phone is now a real IP router
Doesn't the thing seem unusually cumbersome for a 'portable' device? I mean I picture a portable device as being self contained.. rather than the seemingly three seperate parts included here. Now put the cell phone, the controller and the system all on a single device and *then* you have a truly portable device that I can play on the bus. This thing only seems to be useable in the back of a car to entertain kids on long trips.
Too many wires! Hmm.. maybe I should patent that.
That's right, kiddies. Sony isn't claiming that they are making a Game-Boy-style handheld game, just that they're making an easier-to-transport version of the PlayStation. That's where the confusion is coming in. So, I'll say it again: THIS WAS NOT MEANT TO BE A HANDHELD!
Remember the old Compaq Portable? Or IBM's line of 'Luggable' PS/2s? That is what this is equivalent to. A fully-functional, normal PlayStation, just designed to be more easily taken from one place to the other. And, with an add-on screen, you can use it in other locales, too; like a car. But not all on it's own. You can tell that just by looking at it.
So, you'll have to wait a little longer for them to release a handheld that can play PS games. (Although, using CDs as media, it will be awkward to impliment. Either a single device, that is unweidly because of it's size (and the danger of skipping,) or a two-piece system where you have the CD player portion on your belt (pocket, etc) and have a seperate hand-held part with the screen and controls. There are two ways to impliment this system:
Another non-functioning site was "uncertainty.microsoft.com."
The purpose of that site was not known.
I've always noticed, as I've wandered down the console aisles of my local gaming establishments, a fairly good amount of products aimed at taking your N64/PSX/DC on the road. I've seen carrying cases for the consoles, extra carrying cases for the games, even controller carriers that look like Batman's utility belt, and now, this mini playstation. My question is what is this market?
A market obviously exists, hence the products. Or is this a case of products trying to create a market? I've just never seen it in action. Is it the lucky kids on the block who tote their hardware around to the homes of those less fortunate? Is it a strictly sleepover audience? Or is it weary little Rex Jr. stuck travelling the world with his parents armed against boredom with only his Dreamcast, a tote bag, and a shoebox full of voltage adapters?
The circles I run in are mostly convenience console players. Nobody is going to go to the trouble of fiddling around behind their entertainment center/cardboard box to unhook the thing, packing, and then slinging their machines over their shoulder for a night out. But if we settle in somewhere and somebody spies a Dual Shock dangling out of a pizza box, we'll play a few rounds of Bust-a-Groove or what-have-you.
Since children and their games have changed a wee bit since I used to go to my friend Mike's house and hint relentlessly about how cool his Intellivision was and how much fun it was, hoping to score a few more minutes with Nightstalker, I was hoping a parent out there might shed some light onto the kids of today and whether or not they pack console before they hit the streets.
Peace. Sway
Peace. Sway
Here in Japan there is a wire-less data service that is gaining a lot of ground called PIAFS. PIAFS is actually a point-to-point connection-oriented protocol that runs on top of ISDN.
:)
PIAFS supports both 32k and 64k data rates (and within the PIAFS 2.1 spec, it can switch between these rates on the fly depending on signal quality).
With my PIAFS adapter and phone dialed into my ISP, I can pull down stuff at 6kB/s with 120 ms latency
What I like about PIAFS is that:
1) It is here in Japan now.
2) It works and has good geographical coverage (including subways!).
3) The PHS phones that talk PIAFS don't need powerful tranmitters because the antennae are so close together. Battery life is a non-issue. I can use my phone for days without a recharge!
4) You can dial into any ISDN equipment.
However, I am not sure if this is the phone type that this new PS can talk to. Anybody know?
-AP
Almost an extremely cool idea. With PSX2 backwards compatible you could snap up a load of old PSX games and own both that and this "portable" device and play them on either. Sadly Sony seem to be under the impression that we want a largely unportable device to hook up to our mobiles. Sorry but I have a land line for use at home and wouldn't want to pay the call charges for playing online games using the phone when there was a cheaper alternative. As an on the move gaming and easy email access box (if they provided that service) it would have been high on my shopping list. Seems to me that all this really is is a cosmetic upgrade to the slightly old looking grey box, altho it is pretty damn nice :)
Just as much as it's ridiculous for a 500 MhZ computer to have a 56K modem, not a T3. Or for a certain Sega console to run Windows CE. Seriously, though, it's almost always proven to be an unsuccessful idea to attempt late after release to provide connectivity for console systems, luggable or not. Remember the X-Band modem for Super Nintendo? Didn't think so. Maybe even the Gamelink for Atari 2600? The Original Online Gaming Service? I seem to be the only on that wasted money on those things... Sony's in for a rude awakening, since most software isn't already written to use it. Established customer base does not always equal continuing support for new ideas.
"I'm not even supposed to BE here today!"
Every system Sony has released has had some major flaw (PS overheated, prompted a complete overhaul of the system; PS2 can't get antialiasing straight, offers DVD region workarounds, prompts developers queries and redesigned DVD drivers).
Hopefully they will be able to get this system out without it frying.
- I don't care if they globalize against free speech. All my best free thoughts are done in my head.
maybe i'm missing something here, but what multi player PS games are available currently? and who's going to write more with the PS2 coming out so soon?
Here is the official Sony announcement in English.
One interesting note from that page is that it seams as though the LCD panel can ONLY be run from AC power:
*Requires appropriate AC Adapter
Yay! So pointless!
-AP
Hooking it up to a cell phone may seem strange to us, but according to TheGIA:
Concurrent with the PS one confirmation, Sony announced a special adapter cable that connects to PlayStation products (PlayStation, PS one, and PlayStation 2) and lets users go online via a mobile phone. The cable will be available this winter and, according to Sony, permit users to "download information, entertainment content and software programs in addition to exchanging data with other users." While this may seem odd, more people in Japan go online via their cell phones than any other communications medium, so cell phone compatibility is a feature many new consoles are eager to implement.
They also have an interesting article on the PSX2's hard drive...
-- Dr. Eldarion --
Why are they coming out with a new, "luggable" version of the venerable PS1, when the marketing blitz is going to be on for the PS2?
Has Sony given up on the hand-held market? Will my nieces and nephews be condemned to GameBoy Hell forever (or at least for this product cycle)?
Inquiring minds, and all that....
I love vegetarians - some of my favorite foods are vegetarians.
The article lists that the LCD screen on which to play the games will be sold separately. When I first saw the headline, I thought that Sony had rigged up some sort of actual handheld system. The technology's there, and they've already got an established market base.
A special adapter cable, available this winter in Japan, will enables the entire PlayStation platform - including its 128-bit successor - to be connected to mobile phones,
Does any else think it's strange to connect a 128-bit processor to a 9600 baud modem!?
Hey, this is great! Combine the portable PSX with a pair of Thinkgeek's I-glasses, and that silly Microsoft commercial with the stockbroker in the plaza in Russia can become a reality!
<cut to scene of business-suited man in a park, leaping around, screaming "spill your black blood, Sephiroth!" and nearly running into pedestrians, crying "no, not more zombies!">
Okay, maybe it's not so great.
- Michael Cohn
-----
Go ahead, blame me... I voted for Nader!
First of all, in .us cell phone usage is more of a luxury than not. Many people (like me) don't own a cell phone and could care less about having one. Interesting that it hooks up to the controller port, though.
.us homes. (And even without broadband, one could always hook up to a masqueraded dial-up gateway.)
I'd have been more happy to see Ethernet access instead, what with the ability to network anywhere, *and* the growth in broadband (DSL/CTM) in
As for the screen, it's damn cute, but like the old Jaguar CD, it makes the machine look like a toilet. More so since it's white. Although with the screen in the lid like that it also looks a bit like a make-up kit with a mirror.
#naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
The smaller size and weight of this system is a real boon to those designing missile guidance systems. The attached phone also makes remote operation much simpler
Just dial 3210 launch.
134340: I am not a number. I am a free planet!
Looks like an interesting gizmo, particularly if it supports mobile phones with Bluetooth (gives you a few Mbps to the phone) and GPRS (always-on packet-switched connection, designed for IP and not charged by the minute). Even though GPRS will only go at 25-56 Kbps typically, it should be enough for interaction between games on two or more consoles.
Perhaps the initial connection will be via IrDA, which typically goes up to 115 Kbps but can be faster - not sure if any phones implement the fast version.
GPRS (Generalised Packet Radio Service) is based on TDMA (time division multiple access) mobile phone standards such as GSM (whole world and some parts of North America) and the North American digital one whose name I forget (IS-136?). It's just a software upgrade to most base stations and expected by end of this year in Europe (although BT has just announced a business only service starting this month in the UK).
For more info on GPRS, see http://www.mobilegprs.com/ - sibling sites also have good info on EDGE, 3G/UMTS, WAP, and other horrible mobile phone acronyms...
its so CUTE... i just wanna pinch its smooth little corners and general aerodynamic design...
-Brandon LostBrain
Because Breaking Up Microsoft Is Funny
It's not just a matter of deregulation - in the UK, there has been competition in the mobile phone market since it started (Cellnet and Vodafone, then after a few years, one2one and Orange), yet we use a single international standard (GSM) operating on 2 frequencies.
The result is that I can take my dual-band phone to almost any country in the world (except Japan, US, Canada, Mexico and some South American countries) and have it work seamlessly. I can even do short messages (similar to text paging) and data calls (e.g. sending email from my Palm device) from abroad.
I'm not sure why this didn't happen in the US - perhaps the vendors thought the market was big enough for them to go with proprietary standards (e.g. D-AMPS, CDMA) as well as GSM. In the US, GSM is available from Omnipoint and some others, operates on a 3rd frequency, 1900 MHz, but you can get tri-band phones that work on all 3 global GSM frequencies).
Just as with most technologies, standards are a Good Thing...
If anyone has a point or two left, please mod my parent post down as it appears to be factually incorrect as eloquently stated by Cryptnotic. And if you have an extra point, please pass it along to Cryptinic for pointing this out. His comment is not just plain flamebait, He made a good point.
There's a bit more info available at IGN:
http://psx.ign.com/news/20603.html
Sure, I'm disappointed that its not battery powered (though, we don't *know* that yet for sure)... but even still, I'd find it quite useful to have it even in AC-powered situations.
...
Such as laying in bed with the SO, playing Tekken or Vagrant Story. No need to bring the TV into the bedroom and set up all that junk - just put it between us on the covers and play away the Sunday.
Plus, you should also consider that this version of the Playstation caters to a very strong Japanese space-is-everything ethic. I imagine there will be cube-dwellers buying this thing just to give themselves another 6 inches of elbow room
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
If so, then that's a seriously nice combo...
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --