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Sony To Release PSP Handheld Console In 2004
JayBonci writes "According to News.com, in a news conference before this year's E3, Sony announced its plans to release a new gaming handheld called PSP, slated for release late next year. Presumably, this would be to compete against Nintendo's Gameboy Advance, a clear winner in the handhelds department for years now. The games come on a new media format, half the size of a CD or DVD, holding 1.8 gigs. Other Gameboy competitors such as the Neo-Geo Pocket Color have suffered from small game libraries and the inability to get over the GBC/GBA's entrenched marketshare. Despite all of this, Sony isn't SNK, and obviously has a lot of muscle to push its way to where it wants to be. It will be an interesting fight."
How can they win getting into the market this late and not showing hardware that is signifigantly better?
Sony also introduced a new accessory for the PlayStation 2, the I Toy. The USB camera will initially be used as a custom game controller
How will this work?
You jump up and down and little mario on the screen does the same?
And I thought dance mats were scary.
Wow, I should not post when knackered.
I was reading the book opening the xbox and xboy was mentioned
If Sony wants to throw $500million down the drain, the least they can do is throw a little my way.
X-Girl
Girl Box
Game Girl
Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
What truth?
There is no dupe
Ech, How long will two AA batteries run an optical drive and a color display with a backlight? My guess is about how long the Game Gear lasted on four AAs, a couple of hours.
Modular Redundancy--Because 4 out of 5 Nodes agree
Whats it look like? GIS for PSP http://hkp7.com/graphics/psp-s.jpg
~werd~
Or even better! Get your poorly lit portrait poorly aligned onto a three-dimensional mesh so that on the rare occasion your character walks up to a mirror you'll see a horribly distorted YOU!
here's a better article; it goes into a bit more detail than the posted one.
I wonder what companies they will team with to create new games. In order to beat Nintendo, they're really gonna need an awesome initial lineup of games. I'm thinking at least 25 or so. And they'll need some big named games as well, like Castlevania and whatnot.
Also, what are they going to do to entice developers. Gameboy has such market penetration that it'll be hard to convince them that they can make more money with the new handheld. I expect to see a lot of games developed for both systems, or 3d ports of games for the PSP.
Go here for teh [sic] funny.
The games come on a new media format, half the size of a CD or DVD, holding 1.8 gigs...
wow, thats pretty incredible. i remember years ago when my dad bought me the original gameboy.... we had tetris, and that was awesome. now you have media and handheld systems that rival computers that were top of the line just a few years ago.....
xao
xao
http://TheHillforum.hopto.org
SO I bought a PS2 when it came out- now I get a disc read error... crap! thanks sony for not recalling your shitty product...
Now these guys want to muscle there way into the handheld market! wonderful- the last thing I want is to be playing my PSP and see "disc read error".... or be on a train or in a car or something, and have the thing skip... and goof up- most likely everything but the music will have to be loaded into memory to prevent skipping, which means either an overpriced product, or an underpowered one...
I just don't know if I can trust a company that 'muscles' its way into business.
At least this will force Nintendo to compete with better technology rather than sticking us with ten year old graphics and sound.
But what the fuck is "SNK"?
This thing will either turn into a big phone or have so many capabilities that the price will be outrageous compared to the GBA with its smaller screen and standard-type processor. Why do I need a memory stick for a portable? Just put some flash into the machine. Oh wait, that's a palm and sony already makes those . . . wait, what's different about this thing?
Let's see, cell phone/PDA/music/game/video/camera. I think that covers all the portable items you can get at the local electronics store. The PDA/phone's have enough problem getting any sort of synergy going. Sony will probably claim a lot but it will just end up being a game machine--at least nintendo admits the GBA is for nothing but games.
-Libertarian secular transhumanist
Trademark infringement on Paint Shop Pro and psp.com
except that the PSp had been around for nearly 2 YEARS! A portable playstation powered by rechargable lithium batteries well before Sony got any ideas...
I used to get high on life, but I developed a tolerance. Now I need something stronger.
The disk size and format (small DVD) sounds like the GameCube format. I beleve that format is a standard, like mini-CD.
Wonder if this is a new format or if they are using that one. Don't see why they would roll there own with there's already one existing. Of course this is the same company that came up with Beta-Max and Mini Disk.
"Failure is not an option, it's part of the standard package"
The games come on a new media format, half the size of a CD or DVD, holding 1.8 gigs
----
I sure hope their new format is solid state, because portable units are meant to be.. well.. portable. If it's a disk based format I doubt it will be nearly as durable as the cartridge based gameboy. Also battery time must be considered, if it's an optical disk the unit will not have a battery life nearly as long as the game boy advance.
I have a feeling this system might suffer the problems as some early PDA's: overpowered, too expensive, and not portable enough. Nintendo and Palm both tackled their respective markets aiming for two goals: Portability and Efficiency. I hope sony realizes this before going against the behemoth of Nintendo's Gameboy.
Like I would trust a karma whoring troll. The smarter ones use a separate account for BSing and karma whoring.
Kind of reaching there huh guys? Rockstar told you to go piss up a rope didn't they? Lets face it, with games like GTA and Metal Gear as exclusive titles you guys didn't stand a chance. Zelda isn't _that_ good.
anyone who has seen a gamecube disks knows what I meen The disks are small enough that if they could shrink the game cube down to palm size it will be one kick ass portible.
on a more On topic note it says that it supports mpeg4 which makes you wonder if sony will come out with a burner that will let you burn you own movie disks, like thats going to happen, chances are sony will drop the mpeg4 deal for fear of possible lawsuits
It's not slashdotted, you Karma-whore.
Wasn't there one of these a while ago? June 8, 2000. Did that ever materialize?
Random is the New Order.
They don't seem to be quaking in their boots. read this
-- Some days you're the dog; some days you're the hydrant.
Gamers.com has an old article about the EyeToy. They make it sound pretty fun.
Scratched Emulsion
Isn't "Too much overkill" as redundant in Japanese as it is in English? Does all Sony base belong to Nintendo, I think?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signature_bloc
OK, true. But its still not slashdotted. And how'd you know about the turles?
Is Sony going to make a PDA with lots of games, or a handheld game console that looks and acts like a PDA?
I didn't see a price tag on the thing, but with all the cutting edge features, this doesn't look like an easy purchase for the kids, and I'm not sure that hardcore gamers want portability. Could be wrong, but methinks they may have some problems pushing Nintendo out.
If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
...the Atari Lynx, the world's first color handheld (and still the best!); the NEC TurboExpress; the Sega GameGear; and the Sega Nomad. Making a portable that uses optical media is asking for trouble. A proprietary SD memory card would be the better route for vibrations, although the media would be more expensive.
"Right now, somewhere in this world, Scott Baio is plowing a woman he doesn't love," - Peter Griffin, *Family Guy*
You think they'll just throw money at this thing until it eats into gameboys market share enough?
The gameboy SP is pretty sweet from the little bit I played it. I'll be tough to beat. I do hope that Sony's media can take a beating.
-- taking over the world, we are.
Nintendo will never grow up and will not drop the kiddy image that they claimed they where going to remove. I remember them mentioning some BS about trying to appeal to mature gamers, but from their offerings this mainly consists of titles of other game companies, and these mature games just being Eternal Darkness and ports of the Resident Evil series (yeah, there was one origonal RE, but the rest seem to be quick ports).
I find it funny that they make this comment about not going that alley, yet GTA 3 and GTA VC is going to be released on the GameCube.
Yes, I know they were refering to themselfs not making games like that, but if they really had that much of an objection to these types of games then they shouldn't allow them on their system.
"The games come on a new media format, half the size of a CD or DVD, holding 1.8 gigs."
"And we do use the term 'new' loosely..."
"Derp de derp."
Wow, I forsee better uses for this thing than playing games. You can probably store 10 porno movies on it at the resolution of the LCD screen! It's a party in your pocket!
Cyde Weys Musings - Scrutinizing the inscrutable
I find it amazing that consoles can use new storage technologies yet nobody has set about creating a small high capacity disc for music.
A new audio format could use encryption, then CD could wither and die, no more RIAA whinging.
The story is about Sony, not Microsoft.
Still they are good suggestions and I can see Microsoft using them.
I still have an original gameboy. I never saw the need to replace it. Tetris in colour? Who cares! I think the best games are the simplest ones. The game I played most on my Sega Megadrive was the rip-off of Tetris, I don't recall its name.
This talk is making me nostalgic, I might go home and find my GB.
And can it be replaced?
That is one reason I will not buy a GBA SP, I don't want to have to replace the whole system when the battery expires/dies. I also don't want to deal with replacing it if it is a hassle.
Visit http://slashdot.org/~Samir Gupta and mod this faggot down to the depths of hell!!
You guys obviously never used the GameBoy Camera. That was the best handheld console peripheral EVER. Honestly...I made lots of crazy animations and stuff with it. It was great.
They seem to be pushing the 3D capability it has. The GBA has basically zero 3D hardware or software. Yes, Doom was possible, but that isn't exactly 3D, and the textures were still pretty low res. From the sound of it, the PSP could run Quake or Half-Life or FF7 fairly well.
It has a larger, higher res LCD than the GBA (480x272 versus 320x240).
It has a USB 2.0 port and a Memory Stick slot. The GBA has basically the same serial port that the original had 10+ years ago.
The PSP is far, far more capable than the Game Boy Advance. The only potential problems I see is battery life, a small game library, and Nintendo's virtual monopoly on portable video games.
That always cracks me up. I suppose the mindset of DRM leads to the mindset of patents. Someday information will be free!
-Libertarian secular transhumanist
Excellent a handheld version Paint Shop Pro?
http://jesus.everdense.com/
i think this is some sort of joint venture between sony and best buy.
note: Avg Best Buy Customer would not notice what they are paying for. Most Best Buy managers encourage this sort of rape. And yes, I know the customer should notice what would probably be around a $20 dollar fee. Seriously, most wouldn't.
Hopefully they will be as forward-thinking and ahead of their time as they are with the playstation line. I believe they can come up with something that is as good as the Sega Gamegear was back in its day. This could be way cool.
I got nothin'.
I mean, the storage for a portable can't be a disc. They skip. Terribly. That, or the device would need an assload of expensive, high-quality RAM.
:-p
What if you could have a USB converter to transfer the games from CD format to the solid-state media, a cartridge, or a storage module on the device itself (just plug in the PSP to the PS2). It could store a max of five or six games at any given time, and, as long as you have the disc, you can keep playing. Sure, I can already see the sorts of abuse that could bring, but.... why not?!
Informatus Technologicus
For several years they kept relying on the origional GameBoy and hardly offreded any improvements. First there was the origonal GameBoy, then there was the GB in diffrent color cases, then there was the thin GB, then there was the thin GB in diffrent cases, then there was the GB color which added color, repeat the part about cases and thin versions, etc.
Finally after several years of exploting their customers with scheme, they introduce the GBA and you can bet this will start all over again. If you don't belive me just look at the GBA SP. All it does is now offer a back light, fitting their pattern of improve and tweek one thing, and then sell it.
Yes, I know some of that stuff is out of order, but you get the point. Since they had so much of a strong hold in the handheld market with their large consumer base, big libary of titles, the backwards compatablity, and little competiton there wasn't much of a reason for them to make a new system. Most that challenged Nintendo ended up dead.
I have a few dead systems and liked what the compettion offered. The game gear was ok, the games were ok, and while it was nice to have a lit color screen, the thing ate up too much batteries. I liked the NeoGeo Pocket Color due to the fact that it had some good fighters and was a lot better at that then a GB beause it had a stick like control instead of a d-pad. My only complaint was that they had to recall their games before I could build up a libary of them.
I really hope this will encourage more compettion and by removing the handheld monoply away from Nintendo make them more serious about their handheld system.
...shoulda bought a GameCube... :)
Working toward a usable PDA environment in the spirit of Newton OS: Dynapad
All Sony base are belong to Nintendo
Our studies here at Nintendo, as well as many independent ones have shown gamers don't want the proverbial kitchen sink when it comes to handheld games.
...and the associated mechanical and skip problems...
The question is, what did you show them? Was it a clunky device with lousy controls being used to play a complex console game versus an elegant device with nice controls being used to play a simple game? Sony has -- in my opinion -- a far better record with ergonomics than Nintendo.
For argument's sake, let's suppose there will be games like EverQuest which can be played on multiple platforms but with the same saved games or servers. Do I want to play some random game, or continue my Grand Theft Auto or Final Fantasy XII addiction while commuting?
The inclusion of an optical drive, the load times...
Wasn't this the same argument that Nintendo used for cartridges versus CDs? Cartridges introduce a minimum unit cost for games that hurts when you get into price competition for old games. CDs cost next to nothing to mass produce.
In general, the optical media-based consoles do relatively little reading of data within a level, making them far better adapted to use while moving than -- say -- a portable CD-player. Portable CD-players are pretty popular despite occasional skipping, and very cheap, despite the mechanical issues.
Maybe if they introduced PS1 or even PS2 compatibility...
I'm guessing that the system will be -- at minimum -- software-compatible with the PS1. Clearly some folks will be annoyed at having to pay again for games they already have, but this hasn't stopped people buying, essentially, games they already own for GBA.
Additionally, I do not know why Sony is attempting to release an "all in one" portable machine that plays games, places calls, and serves as a PDA. That to me just seems like they are trying too hard to incorporate too many groups of people under the same device. If I want a PDA, I buy a PDA. If I want a cell phone, I buy a cell phone. I doubt there is a big market for people that want a cell phone/PDA/handheld game device. Why pay for this unless you want everything that comes with it? Just my $.02
Lazy bastard.
Slashdot Wisdom:
h tml
"It's overkill, of course. But you can never have too much overkill." - Anonymous Slashdot Coward
http://www.simonpeter.com/techie/slashdot_wisdom.
They will be releasing a 'Kung fu' game and a 'window washing' game. Basically just edge and color tracking.
optical storage == no hobbyist developers.
:-)
Part of what makes the GBA/GBC/GP32 systems keen is that they use flash memories that hobbyists [a/k/a me] can program
Tom
Someday, I'll have a real sig.
Shouldn't Sony's version of a Gameboy be called a "Playboy"? The synergy would be great, especially if you could use the same device to play GTA and look at Denise Richards' tits.
GF
Lots of petrified grits
There is already a portable playstation and its cool as hell. Check it out!
I know its not quite the same but still. And this guy has made other cool units, like portable ataris and snes.
Moderation Totals: Flamebait=2, Troll=1, Redundant=1, Insightful=6, Overrated=1, Underrated=1, Total=12. (not mine)
Sounds like something that will be a big part of the PS3. How about copying game saves, etc to the PSP's hard drive or whatever and taking them to your friend's house? Down with flash media!
Isn't "Too much overkill" as redundant in Japanese as it is in English?
I'm thinking with a name like Samir Gupta, his first language probably isn't Japanese. Probably either some Indian dialect or English.
Yeah, gotta hate those karma-whoring AC's.
It seems that these guys have already made a handheld playstation, even calling it the PSp. If my memory serves me correctly, they were even selling them until Sony made them stop. I'm glad major corporations are fully capable of having orignial ideas.
The influential guitarist for the seminal rock group The Beatles, died recently after a long bout with cancer.
Optical drive could result in skipping plus disk scratches and damages could hurt the PSP's chances, plus I wouldn't want to buy all my favorite PS1 games again on a new format. It will need a really good software library to succeed, but then again, most people would probably just buy it anyways...
Any takers for a bet? :)
I want a portal gaming system that is similiar to the current mp3 player setup... except for games.
Yes, iPod for games!
Just USB or firewire the freaking games onto your gaming system. Sure I won't be able to get a GIG of information now... but come on! Size and jedi ninji graphics isn't the most important thing. Downloading is so more efficent than these little CDs or cartridges. You could even exchange games by connecting the gaming systems to each other.
What would even rock more would be if they would release the SDK for free. Then you could have fresh shareware/freeware stuff to try all the time.
Plus, you could have it play mp3, ogg, divx, whatever...
I would drool to have this setup... I would equally drool to program such a device.
Davak
Developer support for the Dreamcast was certainly a problem, but the looming announcements of next gen consoles from Sony and Nintendo just left gamers thinking, "Well, the Dreamcast must be like an in between step - I can hold off until the real consoles come out in 6 months to a year or so." At least that's what I did. That's why (I think) there was such an insane craze when the PS2 first showed up (stores selling out within minutes, pre-orders with a month+ lead time, camping out, etc.) - people waited a long time for the full step instead of the half step.
ROM dumps are expected to be on p2p nets 2 months prior to their retail release.
Just FYI folks, this guy is a troll. Check out his posting history. Mod accordingly.
Discounting Sega, [Sony] were first to market.
Fairchild Channel F console: 1976. Atari 2600 Video Computer System: 1977. Nintendo Entertainment System: 1985. Sega Master System: 1986. Sony PlayStation: 1994. Microsoft Xbox: 2001. Who was first to market again and had the chance to establish franchises that could possibly reappear on later consoles? Surely not Sony. Even among companies still in the video game business (Atari, Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Microsoft) or among companies still selling proprietary console hardware in the States (Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft), Sony still isn't first to market.
You forget the generational cycles in the video game industry.
Because NVIDIA and ATI each release more than one new real-time graphics hardware product each year, the PC does not have generational cycles. Because it's easy now to connect multiple controllers to a PC's USB hub and to display the video on a 36-inch TV (720p yum!), I consider the PC just as much a part of the video game industry as the PS2. To exclude the Wintel platform from this discussion, please precisely define "video game console". (It'll be tough because Linux for PS2 exists.)
Besides, even if console hardware does have generations, franchises don't.
We're not exactly comparing a Genesis with an SNES.
Which was better again? From what I had read of the systems' specifications, the Genesis had more video memory bandwidth, but the Super NES had background scaling and rotation.
if the Sega Saturn had been backwards-compatible, Sony would be the one out of the hardware business.
No, Sega would still have been out of business because backwards compatibility was apparently more expensive to fabricate in 1994 when the Sega Saturn was coming out than in 2000 when the PS2 came out. It would have been a back-compat layer on top of a back-compat layer, and including it in the Saturn might have pushed its introductory price above the already expensive $400.
You seem to believe that [relying on copyrighted game worlds is] a liability.
You're right. It's an asset. If the franchises are not cash cows, then why do companies such as The Walt Disney Company so fiercely defend their monopolies on such worlds? And that's why Sony had a problem in the early days of the PS1: it had a hard time establishing its own franchises because Sony wasn't first to market. Most of the franchises that carried the PS1 and PS2 (Final Fantasy, Metal Gear, etc) were carried over from the NES by other companies.
Will I retire or break 10K?
If you look at Sony's pattern, they've locked up a lot of franchises on their machines as exclusives. You couldn't get a lot of these games on any other system but PS1/PS2. An example of this would be the Grand Theft Auto series
There were some other things like personal grudges too. EA comes to mind during the Dreamcast years when they stated they would not commit to the Dreamcast platform. And, considering the juggernaut that EA is, it's not surprise that there was little to drive the hardware, even though in many ways the PS2 was inferior. But they weren't the only one. Bernie Stolar, who ran the launches of the PS1 for Sony and the Dreamcast for Sega, was fired shortly after both launches. Some developers hated the guy so much they refused to develop for the platform.
Make no mistake though - hardware is not a good business to be in. It's a gamble to commit to a custom architecture, it's cutthroat from a consumer acceptance perspective, and it puts severe cost pressure on the manufacturer of the end product. Most hardware these days is a loss leader. Of course, few development houses will beat Sega's innovation or fun factor in gaming. Software was and always will be Sega's strong suit.
What's interesting here is that this isn't just a handheld gaming platform. Like Ken Kutagari says, this is Sony's Walkman of the 21st Century. That's the reason why it will likely be at least partly successful. Whether it will displace Nintendo is another matter altogether.
At least Amtrak Surfliners (Santa Barbara-San Diego CA) have plain old garden-variety 3-prong 120vac outlets everywhere. Easy to plug in your laptop and do anything you want, without worrying about battery life. I wonder how enjoyable wardriving is from a train...I think I may find out someday. :)
Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
Who else are they?
You use one "joy-stick" and a picture of Buffy, the Slayer of Vampires.
I suggest you read Slashdot
this handheld only allows for first person shooter games.
I recognize an attempt at a joke, but...
PSP is a firearm and it's also a vaporware handheld game console. Mac 10 is a firearm and it's also an operating system. Just because something's named after a gun doesn't mean that consumers will confuse it with a gun.
Will I retire or break 10K?
big-name games (... Grand Theft Auto) ... And that's not even mentioning in-house titles like Gran Turismo.
I'd rather be playing Grand Theft Turismo, where you get to race the cars you steal.
16:9.
Puzzle games in such an aspect ratio are going to suck. (Or are you claiming that puzzle games belong on an N-Gage system with its vertical screen?) What's so bad about the GBA's 15:10 again?
3d audio.
Out of 2cm speakers typical of handheld devices?
1.8 GB storage on 60mm discs.
Discs scratch, skip when bumped (especially damning on handhelds), transfer slowly, and drain the battery (especially damning on handhelds). And if the games let you save your progress, the system now has to have two slots: one for the disc and one for the memory card. The handheld is starting to look pretty thick.
USB 2.0.
As a host or as a device?
Will I retire or break 10K?
You're addicted to Tetris, and Tetris is a gateway drug. Ever tried hard drugs?
Will I retire or break 10K?
This guy does NOT work for Nintendo. He's more than a troll, he's a fraud. Look at his post history and mod him down.
In general, the optical media-based consoles do relatively little reading of data within a level
In games such as Valve's Half-Life and some RPGs where you can walk from room to room without a concept of a "level", this adds up. Even the PC version of Half-Life had noticeable loading freezes on the computers of the time. In games such as Nintendo's WarioWare where a typical level lasts only two seconds, this adds up as well.
Portable CD-players are pretty popular despite occasional skipping
That's because they only need to read sequentially. A Red Book conforming CD player needs to read 75 sequential blocks of audio a second. Most portable CD players read 150 blocks a second, putting the excess into a buffer, and when the data stream from the mechanism is interrupted, they empty the buffer into the DAC until the mechanism can catch up again. However, such buffering would not work in a random access situation such as a video game.
Will I retire or break 10K?
When an abbreviation is heavily overloaded, a Google search on only the abbreviation produces less than relevant results. Before you insult somebody, try teaching him or her, possibly by providing a query string that returns more relevant results.
Will I retire or break 10K?
If you guys care, here is a webpage that shows pictures of the PSP's Universal Media Disc that alleges to hold 1.8 GB.
And this will take the shelf space in the store video game sections that now hold what? Is something like this enough to send an existing system packing?
(+1 Funny) only if I laugh out loud.
Um, based on what? The PS1? Lousy (the SNES was kinda clunky, but was better than the PS1 for ergonomics, and the N64 was much better). The PS2? Better, but basically just OK (the gamecube's certainly better). So not much evidence from SCE.
If you mean Sony in general (as opposed to SCE), that's also a rather weak bet. Sony has great industrial design in some ways -- their stuff generally looks very cool -- but their usability record is fairly spotty at best. They've turned out some awesome stuff (e.g., walkman), but they've also produced an awful lot of crap; to some degree this is excusable as a way of testing new ideas, but they have a tendency to keep pushing the crap for a long time in hopes that it will catch on.
For instance, consider electronic dictionaries: most companies quickly settled on a fairly simple design, a clamshell with a little keyboard and LCD, and the dictionary in ROM. Sony's been trying for many many years to break into this market, with many wacky products that were truly awful. They pushed `book on a CD' models for ages, which were huge, clunky, slow, and had terrible user-interfaces. More recently they've given up that, but they've kept some of the bad UI from the disk book models, and most of the good points about their new models are ones they simply copied from their competitors! Some other examples include memory sticks and jog wheels -- these are truly cool in some applications, but Sony seems to try to stick them everywhere, even when the result sucks, and because they can afford to lose lots of money, they keeeeep trying.
Well, anyway, the point is that Sony ain't no magician, maybe their new handheld will succeed where others failed, but I'm not betting huge amounts of money on it...
We live, as we dream -- alone....
It's also spun in the opposite direction to normal DVDs
Bullshit. When viewed from the label side, CDs spin clockwise, and so do DVDs. When I open my GameCube console's disc door after an intense round of Super Smash Bros. Melee, sometimes the disc is still spinning, and it's spinning clockwise.
However, the second layer of a DVD disc does have a spiral that also runs clockwise but outside-in rather than inside-out. As caouchouc wrote, the GameCube runs the dolphin OS which has its own filesystem, and I'm guessing that the dolphin filesystem stores the boot sector and directory track on the beginning of layer 2. Such a "reverse spiral" specification could possibly have given rise to the backwards rotation rumor.
Will I retire or break 10K?
I think the best quote of that article is
;)
The best part is that it actually doesn't matter whether you're a gaming pro or a complete beginner, because since there's no controller anymore
Fantastic
Wow, I should not post when knackered.
After all, you didn't see the original ... MGS on the N64, either.
I'm sorry. I saw the original Metal Gear on the 8-bit NES.
Will I retire or break 10K?
You discount the PS2s huge library of games already availble for it... all those PS1 games people had, they still wanted to be able to play... so while they waited for the PS2 library to fill, they still had a new machine that they could play all their old games on. Plus, it had the established name. Parents buying for kids were instantly familiar with the Playstation name, and made the safe bet.
The XBox came to the market with very, very few games and no proven track record, so had/has to prove itself.
I've always thought that the handheld game console market moves far too slowly because of Nintendo's huge market share and coincidental unwillingness to innovate at a speed I'd concider suitable. I mean, look at the GBA - it's only a bit better than the Sega Nomad, which is how old? 10 years?
There was some speculation the reason the GameCube used half-sized discs instead of full size, was so that they could later be used in a handheld, similar to what Sony is proposing. The difference is that Nintendo will be able to build from an existing library of games.
Remember the Portable PlayStation
On Classic Gaming? This guy ripped apart a Playstation One and a mini-TV and built his own back in September of 1991. It was cool because the CD for it spun freely on the back of it without an enclosure. The builder of it even called it the PSP. Hmm... wonder if Sony "stole" the name for theirs from his sight? =)
True, but consider this:
* In their haste to throw out every frightening piece of "complexity" from C++, the designers managed to throw out all the expressive power as well. The result is a langauge that is so syntactically impoverished that it is actually less readable than C++, the language it sets out to improve upon. See the bloated maintenance nightmares that are used to work around the lack of enums, just as one example.
* Ironically, by eschewing out C++'s "confusing" features, Java actually manages to be more error-prone than C++. For example, by forcing casts to be used everywhere, Java defers to runtime a whole class of errors that would never make it past the C++ compiler. This makes type errors much harder to track down, hardly a net gain for the novice programmer.
Remember - don't mod because you disagree - post a rebuttal.
"George Harrison, a vice president at Nintendo of America"
I didn't know the Beatles worked for Nintendo. Hmph.
Imagine a Beowulf cluster of those! XD
Here is a picture from a Japanese site of PSP's 1.8GB media, it's looks to be around the same size as the Gamecube's disc, except it seems it'll come in a caddy of some sort (2.4in in size).
http://www.gc-inside.com/news/103/10367.html
http://www.gc-inside.com/media/psp/05.gif
I for one am glad it'll come with Memorystick, being that there are already great Memorystick accesories such as digital camera, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11b, and even a prototype TV tuner.
Well, you know there are other decent handheld platforms out there beyond the Gameboy and the PSP? And title for "most powerful portable platform" does NOT go to the GBA!
Check out this.
This baby has the ability to PLAY GBA games...as well as a host of older ROMS, and the classic Lucasarts titles, like Day of the Tentacle.
This will be my next console purchase, for sure.
[I define a "video game console" as] a "black box" whose primary function is to play video games and whose software and hardware are optimized primarily (if not solely) for that purpose.
Like the Amiga computer?
Even if your PC is used mostly to play games, the operating system it runs is too generalized for the machine to be called a games console.
By "the operating system", you're referring to Linux, right? The general opinion of the median Slashdot user is that Microsoft Windows operating systems aren't good for much more than playing games.
You'll never confuse Super Mario Bros. with Super Mario World or Super Mario 64.
But they all have Mario, and he even looks roughly the same from Super Mario All*Stars (the Super NES port of the 8-bit Mario games) all the way up through Sunshine. Kids will want the latest Mario game no matter what. Heck, they bought Dr. Mario, Yoshi's Cookie, Mario Paint, Super Mario Kart, Mario Tennis (one of the only Virtual Boy games to be ported to Game Boy Color), and Mario Party, even though they were nothing like the other Mario games, just because they had Mario in it. Also watch the kids snap up Pokemon toys even though the system that the Pokemon games started out on (the monochrome Game Boy) has been dead for a couple years because a franchise outlasts the console that starts it.
The point is that a franchise established on one console carries over to the next console made by the same company, and latecomers such as Sony and Microsoft will have problems coming up with exclusive franchises unless they steal them from another platform *cough* MGS *cough* Final Fantasy *cough* Halo *cough*.
SNES trumped the Genesis in both graphics (sprites, colors as well as the effects you mention)
Sprites? 80 (Genesis) vs. 128 (Super NES) isn't a big difference, especially with mid-frame streaming to sprite registers (common in scrolling shooters). Colors? The difference between 3 bits per channel (Genesis) and 5 bits per channel (Super NES) didn't show up in the cheap TVs of the day[1], especially when many later Genesis games used temporal palette dithering to fake another bit in the video DAC. Similar tricks let Genesis programmers fake more than four color palettes by cutting each in half and temporally dithering each half. Except perhaps for Mode 7, almost any graphical effect that could be done on a Super NES could be faked on the Genesis.
and sound (the Genesis' sound processor was the CPU of the Master System while the SNES used a Sony chip designed specifically for it).
The Super NES definitely had the Genesis beat in sound quality, but loading sound data into memory on the Genesis was quicker because unlike the Super NES's SPC700, the Genesis's Zilog Z80 processor had cart bus access and didn't have to go through a slow parallel port to the CPU.
And guess what? Several Game Boy Advance games contain instruments that have been sampled from Yamaha FM synthesizers such as the Adlib (SB's sound chip) and the Genesis's sound chip. These include Pac-Attack by Namco and Sonic Advance by Sega.
Just as the Genesis re-used the Master System CPU to take care of sound, the Saturn uses the Genesis CPU in the same way.
But then it'd have to include the Master System CPU, the Genesis CPU, and the Saturn CPUs, along with the Master System and Genesis video circuitry (yes, some early Genesis games did run in SMS video mode). Now we're talking beaucoup bucks.
IIRC, that was mostly from Nintendo's decision to continue using cartridges instead of CDs
If Capcom could fit Resident Evil complete with video clips on a 512-megabit N64 Game Pak, why couldn't Konami fit Metal Gear Solid?
Anyway, I wasn't emphasizing that the franchises left Nintendo but rather that the MGS and FF franchises did start out on a Ninte
Will I retire or break 10K?
The GBA and the GC combined, almost reach the sales of the PS2.
Where I come from, there are three kinds of lies: lies with short legs, lies with long noses, and statistics. Are you talking overall sales, or only the previous fiscal quarter? (The PS2's head start may not be relevant to some arguments.) Units, or dollars? (A GBA and a GCN put together cost only slightly more than a single PS2 system.)
Will I retire or break 10K?
Compare almost any first gen PS1 game with one of the last gen PS1 games to see what I mean. They almost look like they are for totally different hardware platforms.
The first couple generations of games wrote to hardware only through the PSX BIOS, and PSX programming resembled programming for a general-purpose computer. Sony didn't open up the register-level interface until about two years into the original PlayStation's life. Thus, a fellow could almost consider the early PS1 and the later PS1 two different consoles.
Will I retire or break 10K?
That's why I'm looking forward to the N-Gage since it's marketed towards adults, with it's high (for a portable console) $299 price tag and the very fact it's a cellphone.
So who's the new Sony device marketed towards?
Another concern is the use of 1.8gig media. Although that sounds very impressive I don't understand why such a large size is needed. Consoles need them for the higher resolutions that TVs support, but the portable console will no doubt have a 240x180 resolution or smaller, so why do they need 1.8gigs? GBAs games get by with only 8 megabytes, which results in some pretty impressive (and long) games like Golden Sun. So why 1.8gigs?
At any rate I'll be watching the Sony device closely. Games available for the Playstation series have been more adult oriented (Grand Theft Auto anyone?) so hopefully this device will be marketed towards adults as well.
my karma will be here long after I'm gone
Do you remember Sega NOMAD? Do you remember how long its batteries lasted, or how clunky it was?
Sometimes, waiting 10 years for technology to mature is good. It's why I can get 10 year old CPUs in things like my watch without my watch needing a nuclear power source.
Competition is good, but don't be so quick to think that suddenly Sony will be putting out VR headsets with games that are totally immersive. Not that those would even be useful, since portable gaming is about pickup and play -- not silly things that are gimmicky (Virtual Boy).
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Internet Explorer (n): Another bug -- that is, a feature that can't be turned off -- in Windows.
Might be worth a look if anyone is considering a portable console.
my karma will be here long after I'm gone
The Neo Geo Pocket Colour lasted about 15 hours on a pair of alkaline AAs. SNK did a good job on it, it's just that overall, they didn't have the cash.
Well, and the sprites couldn't have very many colours. I didn't like that. It's not a big deal in a game like Capcom Cardfighters Clash, but you really notice it in games like Match of the Millenium.
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Internet Explorer (n): Another bug -- that is, a feature that can't be turned off -- in Windows.
The PSP has a USB connection. The PS2 has two USB ports. Think Gamecube - Gameboy Advance.
I think the portable entertainement device Sony has announced won't be much of a game device finally. The cost of the system, in front of a nintendo gameboy, will be really high. Just calculate the precision of a 11.52cm 16/9 TFT screen. Pitch: 0.21mm. And has anybody try to play 3D games on a 5.4 inches screen? Pretty difficult, details are lost, everything is to small. You'll need specifically designed games, with big characters. Those games are very limited, because you need to keep things big enough. In fact, 3D is nearly unusable on small screens. Battery life will be a serious concern, as for the size and the weight of the device! They will need a GBASP like device to protect the big TFT screen. Moreover, Sony has always announced really more than thy did. See the PS2 announcement, the PS3 announcement. I can't remember before. This device will be another MP4/Audio player in the market. Just that.
Nintendo's console is called Gamecube.
Their handheld is called Gameboy.
If Sony's console is called Playstation,
shouldn't their handheld be called a Playboy?
The Red Jade project has been killed and then brought back to life several times and it was supposed to be able to run original Playstation games.
Just my two cents...
Jeez, how big is this thing going to be? The GBA has a 2.3" screen and look how big it is, and Sony's PSP will be nearly double that?!
my karma will be here long after I'm gone
to clean up by offering 100:1 odds on this handheld not being in the consumers hands by 2004. They're currently looking around the market to see the competition and the only thing ahead of them is the GBA - so they've launched a spoiler Press Release. I seem to remember for the entire life of the Dreamcast the PS2 was promised to be 'just around the corner' everybody held off buying the DC and this was probably the single greatest factor in it's demise (and it's controllers).
You could create a little wand, for example, that you would wave in the air, and the software would use the camera to see if the wand was being waved in any specific gesture, to cast a certain spell for example.
One of the demos had a man using an orange-ish stick to draw a fairy toward it and towards "him," while a blue-ish stick made the fairy fly away from "him." ("him" in quotes because it would obviously only show up on television - and I am probably wrong about what color those sticks were, but you get the point).
This could actually make its way to some future game.
Now that there are acceptable games on most cellphones these days. The real market for this is little kids.
Oh yeah, let me just say the slashdot games logo/graphics are butt ugly.
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
What are you talking about? I checked out his (Samir Gupta's) history and it seems like everything he's ever posted here has been well-written and thoughtful; the fact that so many of those posts got modded as `troll' is rather bizarre.
Who know if he really works at Nintendo, and maybe you don't agree with what he says, but his contributions are definitely not troll material; some of you mods out there should be ashamed...
We live, as we dream -- alone....
BTW, if some of you don't see the referred-to post (because it was incorrectly modded down), you should read it -- it gets right to the heart of the matter: despite any technical whiz-bangery, is what Sony's producing really what people want in a handheld gaming system, and are the extra features worth the inevitable costs (price, battery life, size, reliability)?
We live, as we dream -- alone....
Give it a wide screen aspect ratio. It's just better. Make two models, a small one for people who want to carry it around in their front pocket and a bigger one for those of us who think a tiny screen sucks. Also, bigger enclosure means bigger battery. Don't encourage developers to write lots of 3D games unless the hardware can really handle it AND 3D graphics look good on that screen. Personally, I always thought the PS1 was just trying too hard when it came to 3D games. If you can't do it well, don't do it. It would be nice if it doubled as a portable music player. I guess that means that those little disks would have to be (re)writable so I don't know how likely that is but it would be a big selling point.
I know what you are trying to say, that Sony had the least experience, but it sounds to me as if you are saying Sony launched the PS2 after MS and Nintendo, instead of over a year before.
This, as well as backwards compatibility, seems to have worked for Sony. However note that launching first is not an infallible tactic, it did not work for the Dreamcast.
It seems like a lot of factors come into play here.
I feel as if I am talking to someone who hasn't played a game recently here. Things have changed, even if people are still holding on to out-dated views. Sony is a much better choice for young players now, they have better platformers, and they are easier. Nintendo's games, even their platformers, are hard, geared towards older players. Kid's would rather play Ratchet and Clank than Pikmin.
Kid's would rather play GTA anyway. If you think GTA isn't marketed to kids, and older kids and young teens don't form the main market for the game, then you don't know many kids.
Whereas Nintendo were the only console maker to not censor BMX XXX.
They have an outstanding library of adult games, Metroid Prime, Resident Evil 0 and Remake, Eternal Darkness, and so on, and more to come this year, such as their exclusive Metal Gear solid game.
I take your note as a troll, but perhaps you really are misinformed.
Your post contains so many odd and/or illogical statements I felt compelled to reply.
"How did Sony with with the PS2?"
Discounting Sega, they were first to market.
Why discount Sega? - Sega were first to market with a comprarable console *years* before Playstation 2 (the Dreamcast was released in 1998).
"They got into the market far later than all except Microsoft;"
You forget the generational cycles in the video game industry. To an extent, all bets are off when the next generation of console rolls out, which means (discounting the Dreamcast) Sony had the first-mover advantage.
They relied primarily on the sucess of the origional Playstation brand to sell the Playstation 2. This is what kept people from investing in Dreamcast's - they had been constantly told the 'next big thing' is round the corner, and they were led to belive it would be far better than anything they have previously seen.
Sony have a lot of great consumer technology but ought to be ashamed of themsevels for the PS2. Partly because it is has proved very difficult for developers to use the Emotion Engine effectively, and partly because simply the hardware is not particularly capeable (support for only low resolution textures, lack of hardware support for environmental effects, max polygon limits that proved an issue almost immediately [compare DOA3 on PS2 with DOA3 on XBox]).
After the initial rush of playing great games such as GTA:VC many regular users are only just beginning to realise that the PS2 is a bit of let down from a hardware perspective (which was something most hard core gamers realised in the first few weeks, not that it would necessarily stop you from buying one, just that you might not by many games for it). Even looking at some games such as Rogue Squadron on the GameCube is enough to make Playstation owners lament the lack of hardware accelerated special effects on their own console.
"their hardware is far behind the XBox,"
Debatable. We're not exactly comparing a Genesis with an SNES.
No it's not really debatable, it's simple statement of truth, the XBox is a far more able console than the Playstation 2. There surely can be few rational people who doubt this?
A hard disk, a network interface, and crucially - the ability to shift more polygons per second, with much more detailed textures as well as hardware rendered effects* including bump mapping, environment mapping, reflection and Full Screen Anti-Aliasing make it a more capable console (and, with these features built in it is of note that it still retails for less than a Playstation 2).
[* = While the Playstation 2 can also do effects such as bump mapping, they are not hardware accelerated and the frame rate takes such a hit as a result that few developers have been able to use it (which is why it's rarely present in games).]
The Playstation 2 is not anything like a good as it should have been considering the Dreamcast was released in 1998. The PS2 has primarily been successful because of the hype that followed due to the overwhelming success of the original Playstation and because of leverage it has been able to exert on publishers* (e.g. with the Grand Theft Auto series), not because it is competing on technical merit.
[* = Much as have Microsoft have done with Bungie.]
"Sega, who's technology was often cutting edge and who had a long history in the industry, is now defunct in the hardware market."
Sega's problems were never because of either hardware or software. Their main pitfall was marketing. In my opinion, if the Sega Saturn had been backwards-compatible, Sony would be the one out of the hardware business.
You mean Mega CD games? They were not popular in any case, which means that wouldn't have helped. Perhaps you mean with cartridge based media? They already tried this with the Mega CD and 32X fiasco's - both of which were also no
I saw the original Metal Gear on the 8-bit NES.
:P
How did you manage that feat? Someone create an MSX emulator for NES?! The original Metal Gear was a MSX game before it was ported to the NES.
There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion. -- Francis Bacon
Most of the minigames are simple (movement tracking) but very accessible and amusing - especially under the influence of alcohol. It's also fun to watch other people play as it's hard not to look rather foolish when you wave your hands around, punching invisible enemies..
Oh and girls love it too! :)
Huh? Am I missing something? Hollywood movies have been PG13 for years now. There is absolutely no risk they would make a new Natural Born Killers. The see the script, think "Rated R", and discard it.
Stop the brainwash
Tweak3d has a guide on how to fix the read errors...
http://tweak3d.net/articles/ps2repair/
I think Sony could offer some stiff competition if they develop the device with PSOne emulation/compatibility, so that vendors could just burn their existing games to the new media format, and have them run. That would get the device out of the gate with 100s of games. Although none would be optimized for the platform or revolutionary, we've seen Nintendo successfully port old NES and SNES games as well.
I'm not serious student of the economics of the game industry, but I'd like to see Microsoft + Nintendo hook up to jointly take on Sony. Let Microsoft leverage their PC expertise to bring a networked multifunctional hardware device and Nintendo bring their character library (Mario, Link, etc) and experience in the handheld market.
this guy's work from a little while ago? I thought this was mighty cool when I saw it.
Build boards not bombs
Flight: Accessory outlet
train: Same
If we wanted to be plugged into a wall, we'd buy a PS2. Last I checked this was meant to compete with the GBA, which probably has the power advantage hands down: 10 hours with the backlight, 18 hours without it turned on.
I have two nine-year-olds and a Newfoundland to take on the big family trip. Does it sound obnoxious to be fooling with wires and adapters? You bet it does. Big nuisance.
"Fundamentalism" isn't about divine morality. It's about human authority.
I'm quite sure that SONY will be using a better version of the Mini Disc Format, that would be a better format, and plus it could add some life to the format anyway, because i love me some minidisc!
- providing a complete (as in, it works) and free development environment with emulator
- properly abstracting their API's (or providing plugins) and working with vendors to create multi-platform development environments
It is a simple matter of economics of money, time and of course energy. If I have to spend time learning yet another platform while I still must bring in money on titles for the others then it behooves that new platform owner to make it as simple as possible for me to develop on it. It is sheer foolishness to think that existing developers will want to "switch over" to Sony's offering. Instead, it would be common business sense for Sony to realize that developers will want to develop for their new offering IN ADDITION to the others.While mobile devices like phones and PDA's are growing in the gaming arena it is becoming clear that if you cannot simply add your new device to the existing checklist of platforms being developed for (concerning titles already under way) then you had better hope that some very wealthy and giving folk are willing to make that sacrifice to prop up your console with an assortment of games developed exclusively for it.
Don't get me wrong, I think that if this platform offers something new then it will attract its own attention on that merit alone. However, it will NOT be enough to gather enough of the market
The UMD disc is an optical disc about half the size of a DVD or CD and capable of holding 1.8GB of data.
What I have every gameboy system and i relly don't like the idea of discs
Hopefully they won't make the same mistakes Nintendo did with the GBA. Build it with a back-light, and make sure it can be used with people who have hands larger than the average 5 year old kid.. I hardly ever use my GBA just because it's so uncomfortable to play it for any length of time. Especially if it uses the shoulder buttons.
This is going to be an interesting system to look at. The big reason is that like most people I know, I use my portable systems almost entirely at home. As I've heard it mentioned before, a portable system is mostly just a good excuse to play the older crop of games. Top down RPGs. 16bit-esque adventures. It's stuff that doesn't get released on current consoles.
It'll be interesting to see if Sony picks up on this and just rereleases their killer library from the PSX. Too bad we don't know a lot about this thing yet.
"If the good lord had intended us to walk, he wouldn't have invented roller skates." -Willy Wonka
Real 3D?! What's it use, a parabolic mirror? Some other projection tricks?
Oh, sorry -- they must mean that it's a 2D display that renders a representation of 3D in 2D ...
-- Dossy
Dossy's Blog
I didn't say Metal Gear had its worldwide debut on the NES; I said only that I saw it on the NES, that its franchise appeared on Nintendo hardware before it appeared on Sony hardware. Heck, I've never even seen an MSX computer. Others may claim that the MSX computer was not a console. Did the MSX computer ever become popular in North America?
Will I retire or break 10K?
Personally I'd love a PDA with a 4.5" screen. The main reason I haven't upgraded my Palm V is that nobody's come up with anything significantly better. Sony are the closest with their CLIE machines, but the screens on those are still a little small.
Ideally I'd like something about the size of a paperback book. Oh, and it has to not run Windows CE.
GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
undoubtably this thing is not just targeted for gaming but for movies, music videos, pictures,and music as well.
I got to try out a version of this at the Game On exhibition in the UK a while ago (awesome exhibition, btw - if you get the chance to go take it).
I stood in front of a large screen that had the camera perched on top. I could see myself on the screen, and at the top of the display were some buttons that applied visual effects (eg. motion blur, negative colour, etc). By reaching up (into thin air) i could seemingly press the buttons, and the camera detected my hands and apply the effect.
Also, there was a looping demo on the next screen of a guy using the EyeToy. He was holding two orange balls, and on the screen a little character was jumping back and forth between the balls.
I don't know how extensively a peripheral like this might be used. I'm sure there are a lot of creative applications, but unless they're going to be really cheap people won't buy them unless there are a lot of games supporting them. And unless a lot of people have them not many developers will bother making games for them. Catch 22.
What are you talking about? I checked out his (Samir Gupta's) history and it seems like everything he's ever posted here has been well-written and thoughtful
Yes, it does seem that way, but if you look a little deeper you'll see that he freely makes up facts in order to sound that way. Perhaps troll isn't the right word. Can you think of a word for a guy who has been claiming to work for Sega , and who has been annoying users since at least 1994?
True, he does generate discussion, but he generates more noise by constantly lying
Evidence of lies: Holo-Genesis, Gameboy porn, Super Marx Brothers, Lying about his degree.
Thanks to tigress for the info.
Units, total shipped.
Units, last quarter.
Games, total shipped.
Games, last quarter.
Tell you what, you can pick a time period, you can even pick a territory. Back it up with published figures, rather than baseless accusations, and you can have my rubber GBA.