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PSX Review At Lik-Sang

Posted by timothy on from the eyecandy dept.

bhtooefr writes "Over at Lik-Sang, they've got a review of the new PSX, which was released in Japan on the 13th. In it, they take a look at the new design, debunk some myths (that the new controllers were incompatible, and that the ports are USB 2.0 - they're 1.1), and crack the case open. They didn't like how it's incompatible with some peripherals and the MultiTap doesn't work."

180 comments

  1. I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by Pluvius · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Now everyone's going to be confused and think you're referring to the PSOne when you're actually referring to this, or vice versa.

    Rob (Of course, this thing looks like it's going to tank anyway, so maybe it won't be a problem)

    1. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by Harald+Paulsen · · Score: 2, Funny

      PSX is ofcourse PSten, since X is roman for 10. Or you can pronounce it "Pee sucks", but that is gross.

      --
      Harald
    2. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by kinzillah · · Score: 1

      Why can't you just call it a PS1? Why is this confusing?

      --
      Douglas P. Price
    3. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by bhtooefr · · Score: 4, Informative

      I know. Here's the summary of the models:

      PlayStation (PS): Super Nintendo with a CD drive. 200 made, and no known CD games.
      PlayStation X (PSX): The PlayStation as we know it.
      PlayStation One (PSone): Original PSX, just in a smaller form factor.
      PlayStation 2 (PS2): The PS2 - how hard does it get?
      PlayStation X (PSX) (version 2): A PS2 with a built in TiVo and DVD burner. And a confusing name, to boot.

    4. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by Pluvius · · Score: 1

      Well, everybody calls it a PSX, not a PS1. "PSX" has been the unofficial abbreviation for the original Playstation ever since it came out. It'll be very hard to change it to "PS1" or something like that now; the meme is too strong.

      Rob

    5. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by karnal · · Score: 3, Funny

      So if Square-Enix got a hold of it, would the next incarnation be "PSten-two"?

      haahaahaa

      --
      Karnal
    6. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      http://consoledatabase.retrofaction.com/consoleinf o/sonyplaystation/

      'gon

    7. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by Piranhaa · · Score: 0

      http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=6822 Uhh it's a hoaX :)

    8. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by bhtooefr · · Score: 1

      Actually, the PlayStation was a SNES with a CD drive. A PlayStation X is what we all think is a PS1 - hence PSX.

    9. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by bhtooefr · · Score: 1

      That says that Nintendo getting 10% of Sony's PS profits is a hoax, not the whole thing about the PS.

    10. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by freeweed · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Agreed.

      Reading the Slashdot headline I honestly thought there was ANOTHER version of the original Playstation released. The blurb talked about USB, which confused the hell out of me. Thankfully the site wasn't Slashdotted, it explains in there what a "PSX" actually is.

      I don't think Sony is in touch with video game fans; those of us who've been around enough years call the 2 Sony units the PSX and the PS2. Only recently have I even seen people use "PSOne" online. My reaction on the blurb was "SO??". Makes me wonder how bad an impact this could have on sales.

      Or, will they just rename it when they bring it to North America?

      --
      Endless arguments over trivial contradictions in books written by ignorant savages to explain thunder in the dark.
    11. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by Pluvius · · Score: 2, Funny

      OK, not everybody calls it the PSX, just like how more than "you and a few others" do call it the PSX. A lot more than that, actually.

      Are you one of those people who take everything that others say literally? You guys are weird.

      Rob (Uh oh, I better put "IMO" at the end of that last sentence lest you think that I'm calling you objectively weird)

    12. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by andrewa · · Score: 1

      I think this should be modded up as "Insightful". Yes, I agree, no more ambiguity! Next time, please identify who 'everybody' is by adding a list of 'everybody' sorted by last, first name.
      Thanks for your understanding, /a

      --
      :(){ :|:& };:
    13. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by bhtooefr · · Score: 1, Redundant

      PSX: "Original" PlayStation
      PSone: Reworked PSX
      PS2: PlayStation 2
      PSX: PS2 + TiVo + DVD+-RW

    14. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by TRACK-YOUR-POSITION · · Score: 1

      I call it PS1 now, but you must have been awfully insightful if you were calling it that before the PS2 was even released. Lots and lots of people on the internet called it PSX, which will make any web searches for PSX return confusing results.

    15. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by AKnightCowboy · · Score: 1
      I call it PS1 now, but you must have been awfully insightful if you were calling it that before the PS2 was even released. Lots and lots of people on the internet called it PSX, which will make any web searches for PSX return confusing results.

      Man, we're really starting to run out of acronyms. PS1 and PS2 confuse me into thinking you're talking about the old IBM computers or the PS/2 style mouse/keyboards. What's next, the Microsoft XT Box? The Nintendo Intellistation with MCA bus architecture for plugging in accessories?

    16. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you're forgetting the PS/2, the little-known IBM-made predecessor to them all.

    17. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by DJStealth · · Score: 1

      Don't forget IBM PS/2 released over a decade ago.

      Whenever I hear PS2, I still think about those old IBM's that used weird 72pin SIMMs that were not compatible with normal 72pin SIMMs (not even ones in other PS/2 models) as well as the MicroChannel Architecture MCA slots.

    18. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by suyashs · · Score: 1

      That would include DVD+R/RW and MP3 support...

      --
      http://chrono.posterous.com/
    19. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by tepples · · Score: 1

      Only recently have I even seen people use "PSOne" online.

      I've seen the PS1 called the PS1 ever since the PS2 was released in the States. In the console world, I don't consider a bit under 3 years "recently."

    20. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by Jeff+DeMaagd · · Score: 1

      Ditto. Some time ago, someone said that PSX was never intended to be a public designation for the original Playstation and that Sony was doing this to make that point. That is pointless excercise in confusion as it went beyond the fan circles, even Best Buy referred to the Sony PlayStation games as PSX games.

    21. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by Guppy06 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      "Super Nintendo with a CD drive. 200 made,"

      Proof? I'd sooner believe a limited production run of the Sega Neptune than what you describe.

      "PlayStation X (PSX): The PlayStation as we know it."

      Calling the original PlayStation "PlayStation X" is somewhat like calling Nintendo's previous console "Ultra" or their current one "Dolphin." The "PSX" designation referred to the pre-release project that Sony worked on that eventually produced the console ("eXperimental") and it just happened to carry on in popular use after the console was released.

      "PlayStation One (PSone): Original PSX, just in a smaller form factor."

      Pay closer attention. It is referred to by Sony as either "PlayStation (PSOne)" or simply "PSOne."

      "PlayStation 2 (PS2): The PS2 - how hard does it get?"

      Yeah, everybody knows that stands for "Personal System/2!" Oh, wait...

      At any rate, Sony never actually sold the original PlayStation as "PSX." At worst they're co-opting popular slang.

    22. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by Psx29 · · Score: 3, Informative

      Actually you are wrong on certain things. The original CD addon for SNES was called the "Super CD." I don't believe any were actually produced either (but don't quote me on that). The PSX designation was given to the original playstation in its developmental stage. PSX originally stood for Play Station Xperimental. The other info you posted is correct though.

    23. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Official Naming Conventions:

      PlayStation
      PS one
      PocketStation
      PlayStation 2
      PSX

    24. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by An+Ominous+Cow+Erred · · Score: 1

      Not true either! The "SuperCD" was a CD addon for the NEC PC Engine (a slightly-modified version of which was released in the U.S. as the "TurboGrafix 16", where it failed pretty miserably), and many, many of them were sold. Later the PC Engine Duo was released which had the CD drive built in.

    25. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by Psx29 · · Score: 1

      I do know of the SuperCD addon for the PCE but AFAIK the addon for SNES was only ever reffered to as the "SuperCD", and as it was never actually released I doubt it ever had an "offical" (i.e. marketable) name to speak of.

    26. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by colmore · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I think PSX stayed in use since people (for whatever reason) wanted to refer to the system by an acronym and 3 letter acronyms sound a lot better to english speakers.

      Hence the popularity of the term "Automatic Teller Machine" when either "Automatic Teller" or "Teller Machine" would be perfectly fine. Some people even go so far as to say "ATM Machine" (Similar to the much more commonly-heard "PIN Number") These people should all be gathered up and shot, but where's the Bush administration on this one? Huh? Huh?

      OK, I'm going to sleep now.

      --
      In Capitalist America, bank robs you!
    27. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      as a user of playstation in the asian market, i was rather surprised when i discover that playstation one was known as PSX in the US. it was known as just PS where i came from.

    28. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by ejito · · Score: 1
      At any rate, Sony never actually sold the original PlayStation as "PSX." At worst they're co-opting popular slang.

      Yes they did! You obviously weren't a console fan, otherwise you would have bought or at least read magazines at the time to get the latest information.
      The ad campaign for the Playstation was explicitly called by the name "PSX". Editors followed the branding and called it PSX in the previews and reviews. If it's slang, than it was slang created by Sony, not the fans.

      The TV commercials -- which came after the initial PSX branding campaign -- ended up dropping the acronym and called it just "playstation", using Minekawa Takako's voice.
    29. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Uh ..... ATM machines ..... where you type in your PIN number ..... no messy wiring in them things either, it's all done using a PCB board.

      I'm sure there are many more tautologised abbreviations, but I have a big bag of weed to get through.

    30. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is true -- Sony used the name "PSX" in the advanced North American marketing because some thought the name "Playstation" sounded, well, too gay for USian tastes.

      Keep in mind, if you hadn't seen years of commercials the name "Playstation" would probably seem rather odd and generic to you.

      So, it commonly assumed that the thing would be called "PSX" upon release in the NA market. Sony only decided to make "Playstation" the world-wide brand at the last minute.

    31. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by Tim+C · · Score: 1

      Well, I'm not a console gamer, so I may well be completely out of touch, but here in the UK the original PlayStation has been called the PSOne ever since the PS2 came out.

      (And obviously, by "original PS" I mean the once you can actually buy)

      --
      It's official. Most of you are morons.
    32. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What about....

      NIC CARD!!!!!!!

      Yeah yeah, offtopic. bleh

    33. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by MidnightBrewer · · Score: 1

      It can't tank in a country it hasn't been released for yet. I'm sure it will do well in Japan, though. Coincidentally, that's where they've released it.

      --
      "Give a man fire, and he'll be warm for a day; set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life
    34. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by llzackll · · Score: 1

      I don't think Sony ever officially called it the PSX.. That was a name perpetuated by a bunch of video game magazines.. I had never seen "PSX" mentioned in any official sony literature. They always just called it the Playstation. Yes, ,they were working with nintendo on a CD based unit, but it fell through, and sony made their own system instead.

    35. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Super Nintendo with a CD drive. 200 made," Proof? I'd sooner believe a limited production run of the Sega Neptune than what you describe. He's right.(by the way: you're a moron.) This was around the time the partnership ended between Nintendo & Sony. Nintendo asked Sony to build them a CD-rom system to use for gaming. Sony developed it but launched it as a Sony product, i.e. the Playstation. and the rest, as they say is history.

    36. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by theefer · · Score: 1

      PSX is ofcourse PSten, since X is roman for 10.

      And 10 is 2 in binary. Therefore, PSX==PS2. Neat.

      Or did I miss something ?

      --
      theefer
    37. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by bhtooefr · · Score: 1

      It's Super Disc, and it was going to be the market name. However, Nintendo saw the Sega CD flopping, and pulled it. Sony made the Play Station, a (AFAIK) licensed Super Famiclone with a built-in Super Disc, and (AFAIK) didn't release any of the 200 that they made.

    38. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by bhtooefr · · Score: 1

      No, no, no. Don't mod me redundant for this:

      Play Station - Super Famiclone + Super Disc
      PlayStation X (AKA PSX) - The first well-known PS
      PSone (PS1) - PSX Jr. (not the IBM PS/1)
      PlayStation 2 (PS2) - Not the IBM PS/2!
      PSX (the new one) - A PS2 with TiVo and a DVD burner
      PlayStation portable (PSp) - A hack based on the PSone, making it a bit bigger than a classic Gameboy
      PlayStation Portable (PSP - note capitalization) - Sony's new portable, nobody knows much
      PlayStation 3 (PS3) - Possibly available as an upgrade for PS2 (reeks of Adam)

    39. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by colmore · · Score: 1

      Tautology

      I wish there was a +1 "use of one of my favorite words." and that I had mod points.

      --
      In Capitalist America, bank robs you!
    40. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by bugbread · · Score: 2, Insightful

      A possible explanation of the confusing nomenclature: Nobody calls the PlayStation a "PSX" here in Japan. In fact, I only found out about this name from foreign websites. The PlayStation is the "PlayStation", the small playstation is the "PSOne", the PlayStation 2 is either "PS2" or "PlayStation 2", and the new thing is the "PSX". In Japan, where it's released, there is no confusion.

    41. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by bugbread · · Score: 1

      "Makes me wonder how bad an impact this could have on sales."

      At least in Japan, it will have zero impact on sales, because Japanese people never call the PlayStation a "PSX". That seems to be a uniquely foreign phenomenon.

    42. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by bhtooefr · · Score: 1

      Hmm, I'd think there would be MORE confusion in Japan, as the Play Station (note the spaces - SNES + unreleased Super Disc) was only made for Japan, and only 200 were made.

    43. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by bugbread · · Score: 1

      Hmm...I don't know enough about the subject to understand what you mean, sorry. The grey box they sold in stores that many people bought to play Final Fantasy VII was/is sold in stores as "PlayStation". That's what everyone calls it. Whether or not it's correct matters little, since A) ordinary people here have never heard of "PSX" except in reference to the new unit, and B) ordinary people here have never heard of a "Play Station" that is different from a "PlayStation". Was it ever released? If so, if there were only 200, it's little surprise that nobody is confused by the issue. Most people probably wouldn't even know a person who knew a person who knew someone who owned one of the units, let alone know what it was called.

    44. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sony developed a CDRom based system to work in connection with the SNES. It was real, and later when the deal fell apart it was redesigned by Sony to become the Playsation.

      The original SNES design was not called the Playstation at any time.

    45. Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX. by lokedhs · · Score: 1

      I have always referred to the PlayStation as PS, and then after PS2 was released, as the PS1. I was always annoyed by people using different designations and apparently, Sony was too.

  2. Controller Woes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    the PSX does not come with a Dual Shock controller, a PSX compatible controller is available seperatly. An all new remote control is also included. The remote control, which is incompatible with the standard PS2, features the standard PlayStation brand "shape" buttons along with a button that allows you to instantly stop a game. You'll also be able to control recording and playback via the Dual Shock using on-screen menus that allow for quick access to recorded programs, pictures and games, as well as video editing features.

  3. Re:FP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    YOU FAIL IT !

  4. Re:FP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    YOU LOSE

    Both in the FP race, and in life.

  5. Re:4th POST! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Damn, at least you could do fucking FOURTH POST right! You got fifth post. I'd send you to Nero-Online, but not even you would deserve that - rkz, on the other hand...

  6. Re:4th POST! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    YOU FAIL IT!

  7. WEll... by YtseMetropolis · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Now, if only we can have the portable Playstation which seems to be in development forever, I'd be happy.

    1. Re:WEll... by bhtooefr · · Score: 2, Insightful

      What, like this (warning: GameSpy link - don't click any ads)? BTW, he's made MANY 2600 handhelds, and the occasional NES and SNES handheld.

    2. Re:WEll... by 77Punker · · Score: 5, Funny

      I heard the pocket PS is going to ship with Duke Nukem Forever.

    3. Re:WEll... by tie_guy_matt · · Score: 1

      Why is is that when Sega released the Nohmad (portable system that played genesis games) everyone thought they were a bunch of idiots. However if and when Sony releases the portable playstation everyone will think they are the biggest geniuses in the world? I guess it just goes to show that advertising and product loyalty are more important in the video game industry than coming up with a new idea. Heck even the Gamegear was basically just a portable Sega Master system. Making a portable version of your full sized system is NOT a new idea, but to many people will think it is.

    4. Re:WEll... by 77Punker · · Score: 1

      The big problem with a Nohmad was that it could only be bought at Toys 'R Us. Talk about cutting down your own market!

    5. Re:WEll... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      its Nomad, kids

  8. 24x dvd-r by elohim · · Score: 0, Redundant

    I read somewhere the psx was supposed to have a 24x dvd-r drive. so... is it really 24x; what's this "dubbing"? Like dubbing tapes?

    1. Re:24x dvd-r by VertigoAce · · Score: 2, Informative

      From the article it looks like Sony reduced the speed to 12x (although it seemed like it was a software change rather than different hardware; ie, it could be fixed with a firmware update). I assume the dubbing means copying from one dvd to another.

    2. Re:24x dvd-r by Oz+Fruit+Cake · · Score: 1

      No, it comes with 12x dubbing as the article at Lik-Sang says!

      I think it means copying recorded movies off the HDD onto CD.

  9. Kick Ass! by shepd · · Score: 2, Informative

    They include a DVD burner? Ohhh, now when this baby is modded, you won't even need a computer to back up your games. And the contoller chip seems to be unchanged (from what I can see in this photograph -- can't read the numbers on it, though.). Good news.

    --
    If you could be told what you can see or read, then it follows that you could be told what to say or think - BoC
    1. Re:Kick Ass! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Of course you'll need a computer, the PSX, like all game systems, IS a computer...just a highly specialized one (okay, the X Box is just a crappy PC with a nice video card, but the OTHER games machines are highly specialized).

    2. Re:Kick Ass! by suyashs · · Score: 1

      And it has a big hard drive too...and a network port...think of the possibilities... Divx/OGG from LAN...games from LAN...DVD ripping to HD....streaming video via VLC type app etc...

      --
      http://chrono.posterous.com/
    3. Re:Kick Ass! by gearheadsmp · · Score: 1

      This has been already done on the Xbox. Aside from playing awesome PS2 games, a modded Xbox can beat the PSX hands down, at 1/4 the price.

      And it has a big hard drive
      You can add any size IDE drive to a modded Xbox w/ one of the more recent modchip Bios', 120gb with an older Bios

      a network port
      Xbox has an nForce chipset. Networked by default.

      Divx/OGG from LAN
      Already done.

      games from LAN
      Get PSOne, PS2, and Xbox games from Sharereactor (and Roms).

      DVD ripping to HD
      Use Dvd2Xbox to rip games.

      streaming video via VLC type app
      Again, use XBMC

    4. Re:Kick Ass! by sn0wman3030 · · Score: 1

      yeah, Boards of Canada kicks ass. (I am, of coarse refering to the sig)

      --
      Life is offtopic.
    5. Re:Kick Ass! by RyuuzakiTetsuya · · Score: 1

      Doesn't play PS2 games. and there are far more PS2 games(particularly of the import variety) to make it worth my purchase. But then again if I can afford a PSX, I can also afford an XBox, but I'd rather use the PSX for that purpose. Plus it can burn DVDs. But then again, at this point...

      But also, remember, this wasn't designed by SCEJ, this was designed by Sony's home appliance department.

      --
      Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
  10. Hmmm... by LordK3nn3th · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Also due to the orientation of the PSX controller ports, Playstation 2 Multitap units are not compatible therefore ruling out any 4-player action.

    Oh, no no no no no, I'm sure Sony will come out with a nice little overpriced device that will let this all happen.

    --

    ---
    Never criticize religion on Slashdot. You will be modded down for "Troll" no matter how factual it is.
    1. Re:Hmmm... by __aatgod8309 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Just what we need, an overpriced device for our overpriced device...

    2. Re:Hmmm... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't have a multitap, but ahh, why couldn't you just use an extension cable or two to attach your multitap to your PSX(the new one)?

      -- vranash

  11. rghrlghrghlgrhrlgh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    i beat myself off to furry pron every day ugnhgunhugnhughgh

  12. well, I will stay with my ps2 for a while yet... by demonhold · · Score: 0

    What's the point in buying this when in a couple of years at the most, PS3 will hit the stands. Sure the addons give it an egde over the competence for someone who has not a console yet... but for the rest who already own a ps2 and more or less current personal computer with DVD-R it doesn't look so hot. Besides, the expected price tag is not that attractive either.

    --
    ... y Dios vio que Linux era bueno... Genesis 99.666
  13. Hehe by iamdrscience · · Score: 0, Redundant

    DVD burner included, eh? So now you don't even need a computer to pirate your playstation games? Seems like an odd plan, but then again I'm not the one with the degree in Strategized Marketecture, so what do I know.

    1. Re:Hehe by AKnightCowboy · · Score: 1
      DVD burner included, eh? So now you don't even need a computer to pirate your playstation games?

      I never understood Sony's purpose in putting a DVD drive in their Playstation 2 or a CD-ROM drive in the PS1. Why not just use some proprietary drive like Nintendo did with the Game Cube? I imagine Game Cube piracy isn't that rampant since you probably have no way of making those mini discs. Game piracy of carts was probably non-existent. So again, why not use a proprietary game cartridge/disc?

    2. Re:Hehe by Pluvius · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Because proprietary media costs a lot more, tends to hold less, and is just about as pointless. Didn't you hear about how some pirates got around Nintendo's copy protection using Phantasy Star Online and a broadband adapter?

      Rob

    3. Re:Hehe by Random+Frequency · · Score: 1

      this technique isn't really something for them to worry about, since it requires a higher level of skill than simply copying the disc.

    4. Re:Hehe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Balance the R&D and manufacturing costs of the well-designed, proprietary GCN optical media (oh no, 3" DVD!) that sells for $50, with the R&D, licensing, and publishing costs of games that sell for $0 because somebody bought a HK silver instead, or simply burned a damn internet-distributed ISO.

      Sure, I bought my BBA and PSO1&2, both for playing and for messing around. Both are still sealed, since I'm playing through other games ATM. But it sounds to me like Nintendo even makes money off the copyright circumvention devices, $50 + $35 from me alone. :):):)

      And BTW, there is no written law that restricts proprietary data storage formats to being lower in capacity than widely-accepted standard formats. The Dreamcast's GD-ROM format held considerably more data (1 GB) than competing game console discs of the time (remember that there has never been a 700 MB Playstation, Saturn, Sega CD, etc. disc, only 650 MB or lower). Too bad for Sega that they were so naive when it came to enforcing the usage of GD-ROMs as opposed to "standard" CD-ROMS, something which Nintendo apparently studied and learned very well, better than any armchair analyst probably does (much to the chagrin of my ego, and if you're wise, yours as well).

  14. Re:well, I will stay with my ps2 for a while yet.. by Alan+Partridge · · Score: 0, Troll

    What's the point in buying a PS3 when a couple of years afterwards at the most, PS4 will hit the stands?

    --
    That was classic intercourse!
  15. Re:well, I will stay with my ps2 for a while yet.. by Alan+Partridge · · Score: 0, Troll

    What's the point in buying a PS4 when a couple of years afterwards at the most, PS5 will hit the stands?

    --
    That was classic intercourse!
  16. What's with the design? by hendridm · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Doesn't look like a modern device. Looks like a prototype of something. The marketing guys and gals must have been on a time-out. Not that I really care what it looks like, but it doesn't look like Sony to me.

    I suppose this isn't supposed to appeal to my mother looking for which console to get me for Christmas, and having no clue which one is better, basing her decision solely on appearance and a pretty box...

    1. Re:What's with the design? by Amiga+Lover · · Score: 1

      Looks like they've stolen the design from the Amiga MCC

      Another area where Amigas innovated and everyone else followed 5 years later.

    2. Re:What's with the design? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ever see a Sony Broadcast VCR deck from the mid '90s? It looks like they're back in style, only now in ghost white.

      Seriously, where the PS2 looks like a huge slot 1 heatsink and the Xbox just looks plain tacky, the PSX looks far too industrial. They're all huge and ugly, and it should be an embarrassment to all involved when it can be said that the PS2 is the SMALLEST that either Sony or Microsoft can produce in the current generation of systems.

      Give me the great small game systems, like the GameCube, the Dreamcast, the PSone, and the PC Engine. They play my games and otherwise stay out of my way. That's all they should HAVE to do, I have adequate standalone components to do everything else.

  17. Re:well, I will stay with my ps2 for a while yet.. by Alan+Partridge · · Score: 0, Troll

    What's the point in buying a PS5 when a couple of years afterwards at the most, PS6 will hit the stands?

    --
    That was classic intercourse!
  18. Re:well, I will stay with my ps2 for a while yet.. by richy+freeway · · Score: 0

    What's the point in posting articles on /. when a couple of days afterwards at the most, someone else will post it again anyway... ;)

    I'll get my coat...

  19. Re:well, I will stay with my ps2 for a while yet.. by Trejkaz · · Score: 1

    What's the point in buying a PS6 when a couple of years afterwards at the most, PS7 will hit the stands?

    --
    Karma: It's all a bunch of tree-huggin' hippy crap!
  20. Why Sony? Why! by lamasquerade · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Its missing such obvious features as component video out and mp3 playing! Although the latter is slated for a late upgrade, but even the most rudimentry DVD players have that, I can't imagine why they left it out. And why the incompatibilities with exotic controllers usable with PS2? Just who makes these sorts of decisions - it's so very frustrating. Could have been an amazing machine.

    --

    // It had been Fat's delusion for years that he could help people. --Philip K. Dick, Valis

    1. Re:Why Sony? Why! by Naffer · · Score: 1

      Component video out? Even my PS2 has that. In all honesty, I wouldn't be surprised if a modchip was quickly released that allowed the PSX to run un-sony code. The "hacker" community might just have MP3 and DVD+/-RW support before SONY.

    2. Re:Why Sony? Why! by suyashs · · Score: 1

      It does have component video out...it uses a toshiba type connector though... see this pic http://image.lik-sang.com/content/psx-news/psx-new s7.jpg (4th port from the left counting the covered network port)

      --
      http://chrono.posterous.com/
    3. Re:Why Sony? Why! by mabhatter654 · · Score: 1

      I'd agree they've made a really sloppy showing this round. Let's face it, it's just a dressed up PS2...they should have spared everyone and made it exactly that, a PS2 + the added features...anything less was a waste of time. Also, pulling features is a waste of time...we all know that they'll never really add everything they originally said...so move along...nothing to see here. But it could have been really, really cool.

  21. Re:well, I will stay with my ps2 for a while yet.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What's the point in buying a PS7 when a couple of years afterwards at the most, PS8 will hit the stands?

  22. I'm not a big fan of all-in-one devices... by MadAnthony02 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I can see the appeal of this device in Japan, where space is at a premium. In the event that it does come to the US, I have to wonder how successful it will be - how many people want one device that does everything? Sure it's cool and convinient when it works, but do you really want to have one part break and thus lose your DVD player, your console, your PVR, and your DVD burner? Plus, I would tend to think most people geeky enough to want these already have all those devices and would be less than willing to buy them all again.

    IMHO, most all in one devices tend to be compromises - they do lots of stuff, but none of them well. After having a TV/VCR that broke on a regular basis and seeing some very difficult to configure all-in-one printer/copier/scanners, I tend to stick with standalone devices.

    --
    I have blog like everyone else
    1. Re:I'm not a big fan of all-in-one devices... by Babbster · · Score: 4, Interesting
      Not including MP3 support from the get-go is more than a compromise - it's a greedy power play for Sony's own audio format. One can get MP3 playback from the CHEAPEST DVD players, yet Sony's own high-end device lacks it. Of course, it's not that surprising considering that Sony's DVD/SACD (SACD, for those who don't know, is Sony's proprietary high-resolution audio format) players don't support DVD-Audio while other companies (including Pioneer which has a DVD/DVD-Audio/SACD player available for well under $200) release players supporting all formats.

      It's worth noting, too, that the PSX is a PVR device released after Sony quit producing TiVo PVRs, almost certainly because they didn't want TiVo to have their cut.

      Sony is well on their way to marginalizing themselves in the consumer electronics world with their insistence on supporting primarily, and sometimes ONLY, their own proprietary media formats. One would have thought they had learned their lesson from the VHS/Beta debacle oh so long ago.

    2. Re:I'm not a big fan of all-in-one devices... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Geezzz, how often do you break your stuff? The trouble with modern electronics devices is that they don't break often enough - so it is very hard to convince the wife that you need a nice new shiny toy...

    3. Re:I'm not a big fan of all-in-one devices... by nyseal · · Score: 1

      And the funny part is that all of those 'all-in-one' devices are ALSO made in Japan. Ironic.

      --
      [SIG] Remember Mattel handheld games?
    4. Re:I'm not a big fan of all-in-one devices... by jkmiecik · · Score: 1

      Sony has been at this proprietary stuff for years. Beta tapes anyone?

    5. Re:I'm not a big fan of all-in-one devices... by evilviper · · Score: 1
      how many people want one device that does everything?

      Well, the problem is that there is no standard way to interconnect these things, so all-in-one is really the only option to get everything to interact.

      How you would record a DVD at 12X (from a Tivo, or another DVD) if they weren't together? Until devices have something like firewire interconnects, standard communication protocols (and no MPAA copyright restrictions) there's just no other way to do it.
      --
      Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
    6. Re:I'm not a big fan of all-in-one devices... by evilviper · · Score: 1
      Sony is well on their way to marginalizing themselves in the consumer electronics world with their insistence on supporting primarily, and sometimes ONLY, their own proprietary media formats.

      Can you say "memory stick"?

      I do believe you are right. But I think the much more significant problem is not their propritary technologies, but their massive copyright restrictions... They've killed before, and they will kill again!
      --
      Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
    7. Re:I'm not a big fan of all-in-one devices... by mysticwhiskey · · Score: 1

      Shudder... I just *had* to click the link in your sig, didn't I... (must be the "Wet Paint - Don't Touch" syndrome)

      --

      Stuck down a hole! In the middle of the night! With an owl!

    8. Re:I'm not a big fan of all-in-one devices... by evilviper · · Score: 1

      I'm getting these types of messages quite a bit...

      Maybe I should change it to "Please Click Here for Shiny Happy Website"...

      --
      Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
  23. Re:well, I will stay with my ps2 for a while yet.. by bhtooefr · · Score: 1

    What's the point in buying a PS2 when in 72 years afterwards at the most, PS9 will hit the stands?

    BTW, that's a reference to this PS2 commercial (Quicktime .mov - have fun with codecs). If anyone can find it in .mpg format, reply ASAP!

  24. I like it by msgmonkey · · Score: 1

    The light colouring and simple lines look nice, not an eyesore at all and makes a change to everything that has to be shiny and in your face.

  25. Dude! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    For the price? It's like they're just throwing in a PS2.

    For me this thing sounds like it's 90% of where I'd like it to be. The PS2, just an added extra.

  26. Re:well, I will stay with my ps2 for a while yet.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What's the point in buying a PS8 when a couple of years afterwards at the most, PS9 will hit the stands?

  27. Where's the FireWire/1394/iLink? by Stonent1 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Regular PS2 systems have a i.link port on the front. So much for using this thing to hold your DV camera video.

    1. Re:Where's the FireWire/1394/iLink? by BlueCodeWarrior · · Score: 0

      Didn't they cut this on the most recent version of the PS2?

    2. Re:Where's the FireWire/1394/iLink? by xeno_gearz · · Score: 2, Informative
      Didn't they cut this on the most recent version of the PS2?

      Yes. I saw a report talking about the new PS2s and it was stated that the FireWire was not used by nearly enough people to justify the manufacture of PS2s with that feature. I find that somewhat disappointing but at the same time I have to state that I never used the FireWire on my PS2. It just is disappointing to see a device lose features.

      --
      *
      troll blacklist. Please mo
    3. Re:Where's the FireWire/1394/iLink? by suyashs · · Score: 1

      They should include a feature with the upcoming hard drive to download video and pictures to the Hdd unit. I saw a couple of pics of it being done on the Jap PS2 w/ BBNet...

      --
      http://chrono.posterous.com/
  28. Re:well, I will stay with my ps2 for a while yet.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    it wasn't some kind of groundhog day reference then? :(

  29. "Pause" button by Traxton1 · · Score: 1

    Over in the review they said that there is a button that just freezes the game. Did they mean the start button or what? I looked at the pictures of the controllers and I didn't see anything. Can anyone clarify?

    --
    Twitter.com/TrentonHyatt
    1. Re:"Pause" button by BrainInAJar · · Score: 1

      Windows key.

    2. Re:"Pause" button by Carty · · Score: 1

      It's on the box's remote control

  30. Sony is Putting All its Eggs in One Basket by tealover · · Score: 1

    Literally.

    I don't know how Sony in its present day, conglomerate form can survive. Not when it has disparate business interests that do not align well. The PSX is Sony's latest shism come to life.

    Will it do well?

    Who knows.

    But I gaurantee there are a lot of people within Sony who pray for its death, notably those in consumer electronics, film and music. There are a lot of people at Matsushita who pray it succeeds.

    Sony's recent showing at the Tokyo Consumer Electronics affirms Sony's current standing.

    --
    -- You see, there would be these conclusions that you could jump to
    1. Re:Sony is Putting All its Eggs in One Basket by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      STFU cyberchimp.

  31. Just when you thought... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    ... that the XBox was as ugly as they could ever come, Sony hits the jackpot.

  32. Re:well, I will stay with my ps2 for a while yet.. by jasonditz · · Score: 0

    I guess if you have a grand to drop on this thing then having to shell out for a PS3 in a couple years probably isn't a big issue.

  33. Soon to be released: by r00zky · · Score: 1

    PS*
    now with the kitchen sink too!

    --
    I'm a chainsmokin' alcoholic sociopath, so-ci-o-path
  34. Don't even think about... by gexen · · Score: 2, Informative

    Don't even think about getting one of these until they are released in your region. Things just won't work properly the way the system is made.

  35. Price by cdrj · · Score: 0, Redundant

    The price of the unit from Lik-Sang is $800 US dollars! - for the cheap version! Does this in any way reflect pricing in the US once Sony releases it here?

    1. Re:Price by BrainInAJar · · Score: 0

      Ever priced anything sony other than a regular PS2?

      I think the pricing will stay the same, in accordance with Sony's usual pricing schemes

  36. There is no USB 1.1... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Informative

    ...because USB 2.0 IS what was formerly known as USB 1.1.

    So that was actually correct.

  37. USB 2.0 by Blue+Booger · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The article complains about sites that say that the PSX has USB2.0, saying that instead it is USB1.1. I thought that everything was now USB2.0 and that the difference was High-speed versus Full speed. There was an older slashdot article about it here.

    --
    --If you don't test it, it won't work. Guaranteed.
    1. Re:USB 2.0 by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      USB 2.0 not only specifies a higher speed (for whatever the fast devices are called) but also higher power delivery for operating more complex devices and providing charging functionality to devices with sizable battery packs.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    2. Re:USB 2.0 by DA-MAN · · Score: 1

      Here is the link to the Slashdot story that confirms this guys story.

      Basically Consumers wanted USB 2.0 devices, so the USB group in charge of naming conventions decided to drop the USB 1.1 name.

      Now there is USB 2.0 High Speed (What use to just be USB 2.0, which is up to 400 mbps), USB 2.0 Fast Speed (The port formerly known as USB 1.1 12 mbps) and USB 2.0 Regular speed (USB 1.0, which was 1 mpbs I think).

      Because USB has always maintained full forward and backward compatability, and consumer demand was for USB 2.0 the standards were rewritten so that all USB devices were USB 2.0 regardless of speed.

      --
      Can I get an eye poke?
      Dog House Forum
  38. Or you could just by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    buy a computer and SHUT THE FUCK UP! Wanker.

    1. Re:Or you could just by suyashs · · Score: 1

      my comp doesn't have a 50" monitor

      --
      http://chrono.posterous.com/
    2. Re:Or you could just by flatface · · Score: 1

      S-Video out or VGA projector. Take your pick.

  39. That doesn't matter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Currently it's a FACT that Gamecube games are less pirated than PS2, Xbox, or GBA games. Hell, Gamecube games are less pirated than Dreamcast games. And it's all because it doesn't just involve burning a CD / DVD or running an emulator.

  40. White is the new Black by BasilBrush · · Score: 1

    Consumer electronics go through fashions for what is the modern color. Black and silver have come round more than once since the 70s. Wood effect has been occasionally popular. The original iMac made bright transparent colors popular for some devices. Right now, it looks like the new iMac and the iPod is making white the next trendy color.

  41. Proof by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Would have been better if you would have taken a few minute to do some searchingyourself before spouting off but here is an article on the parents original playstation info

    Original Playstation info

    1. Re:Proof by Guppy06 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Then perhaps you can tell me, O master of research, where exactly in that article it claims that 200 of the devices were made? Or didn't you read my entire sentence before you wrote your flippant little response? I would hate to accuse you of hypocricy, so it must be that your reading comprehension skills are a little.... shall we say "below average?"

      If you're going to try to be a smart-ass, make sure you do it right. Then maybe you won't have to post as an AC.

    2. Re:Proof by bhtooefr · · Score: 1

      Right here.

    3. Re:Proof by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I want better proof, or at least an attribution trail. My memory of news regarding these events as they unfurled so many years ago contradicts the information presented on that site, but there is no way to confirm whether it is I or Mr. Tyson who is incorrect.

    4. Re:Proof by Guppy06 · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I can make a website too.

      If there are 200 of these devices out there, where are they? Why haven't they shown up on eBay? And what about these Super Discs, shouldn't there be at least 200 of those out there as well? What titles were they?

      If the original hardware had the capability to play SNES cartridges, why did Sony stop? It's common knowledge that the SNES was the most popular console well into the PlayStation's life (Donkey Kong Country, anyone?), so why didn't Sony continue to leverage this advantage?

      With Sega's "me, too!" strategy with the Sega Saturn, why didn't the Saturn play Genesis cartridges in light of what Sony was doing?

      Dropping cartridge support and changing optical media sounds like a major hardware overhaul. Why would a company that needed coaxing from Nintendo to begin with to get into the video game hardware industry be willing to make such drastic changes before launch? And why wouldn't the company that made sure to put PlayStation hardware into the PlayStation 2 make sure the newer PlayStations could play these Super Disks?

      Why did Sony keep the "PlayStation" name? As a rule you're not supposed to keep the name of old hardware unless it was wildly successful. If 200 of these SNES-compatable PlayStations were out there, why didn't they change names to avoid confusion and compatability issues? Did Sony recall the original consoles? If so, where are the records of the recall?

      Why did Nintendo let Sony make so many Super Famicom clones? Sure, you saw licence games on CD-I, but you sure as hell didn't see Nintendo allowing Philips to make ports of SFC games. Why did they allow Sony to go even one step beyond that, playing SFC games outright?

      If Nintendo didn't let Sony do this, why hasn't Nintendo sued Sony back to the stone age? This would obviously be a violation of Nintendo's intellectual property rights. And to avoid future lawsuits, not only would Sony's newer PlayStation models have absolutely no hardware in common with the original SFC clone, but they would drop the "PlayStation" name as well, making sure future customers don't associate Sony's product with their previous violation of IP.

      Why would a device originally intended to connect to a Super Famicom have the ability to play Super Famicom cartridges? Isn't that a bit redundant and a waste of precious volume in the case? Why would Sony make hardware with no SFC hardware (and no use for it), then put the hardware in, manufacture 200 of them, and then take the SFC hardware back out again?

      If these machines were actually produced, why were Seiken Densetsu 2 & 3 still produced on carts?

    5. Re:Proof by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Yeah, I can make a website too.
      Sure you can Nerd boy

      >If there are 200 of these devices out there, where are they? Why haven't they shown up on eBay? And what about these Super Discs, shouldn't there be at least 200 of those out there as well? What titles were they?

      Go fish... maybe youll find a few... What the hell is your problem anyway???? you keep on ranting and raving about how certein things are not true but you cannot produce one letter of useful info.

      >If the original hardware had the capability to play SNES cartridges, why did Sony stop? It's common knowledge that the SNES was the most popular console well into the PlayStation's life (Donkey Kong Country, anyone?), so why didn't Sony continue to leverage this advantage?

      Why the hell should Sony???

      >Dropping cartridge support and changing optical media sounds like a major hardware overhaul. Why would a company that needed coaxing from Nintendo to begin with to get into the video game hardware industry be willing to make such drastic changes before launch? And why wouldn't the company that made sure to put PlayStation hardware into the PlayStation 2 make sure the newer PlayStations could play these Super Disks?

      No it does not need 'serious changes'... so what??? youre a console hardware expert all of a sudden???? Remeber that Nintendo did the same thing a few years later with the N64 => they designed a magnetic expansion drive for that console that could be stuk in the extension port of the damn thing on the bottom.

      >Why did Sony keep the "PlayStation" name? As a rule you're not supposed to keep the name of old hardware unless it was wildly successful. If 200 of these SNES-compatable PlayStations were out there, why didn't they change names to avoid confusion and compatability issues? Did Sony recall the original consoles? If so, where are the records of the recall?

      So what??? you are making the product naming rules now O Highly exaulted one... what a wise man you are!!!!!

      >If these machines were actually produced, why were Seiken Densetsu 2 & 3 still produced on carts?

      Why didnt the N64 DD drive get into rotation??? same question you twerp

    6. Re:Proof by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > And what about these Super Discs, shouldn't there be at least 200 of those out there as well? What titles were they?

      The link that the parent pointed out to "How stuff works", indicated that the "Super Discs" used the CD-ROM/XA format. Since I know for a fact that the PSOne games all use the CD-ROM/XA format, it is not too much of a stretch to imagine that the PSOne games are exactly the same as these "Super Discs".

    7. Re:Proof by Guppy06 · · Score: 1

      "Go fish... maybe youll find a few... "

      I did. The only mention of such devices Google has turned up were essentially carbon copies of the link provided.

      "What the hell is your problem anyway????"

      A statement was made. I questioned the validity. I have yet to see anything to back up the claim other than "my uncle's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate heard of one once."

      "you keep on ranting and raving about how certein things are not true but you cannot produce one letter of useful info."

      I'm supposed to prove a negative?

      "> why didn't Sony continue to leverage this advantage?"
      "Why the hell should Sony???"

      To make more money, perhaps? To get a leg up on the competition? To use Nintendo's own library against them? It's what corporations do.

      "No it does not need 'serious changes'... so what??? youre a console hardware expert all of a sudden????"

      The PlayStation and the SNES do not share common hardware. The PlayStation cannot play SNES games without resorting to software emulation (something that the EMU community still hasn't been able to do, if it's even possible.) A console that plays both PSX discs and SNES cartridges would have to literally have both consoles in one case, and at the time that would result in a console possibly larger than even the Xbox (this is before even the SFC Jr, don't forget). This is also why the SNES did not play NES games (devices available on the web that claim they do are simply Famicom clones that get power from the SNES and pass through the a/v feed, much like the GBA player for GCN).

      "Remeber that Nintendo did the same thing a few years later with the N64 => they designed a magnetic expansion drive for that console"

      Apples/oranges. The 64DD is an add-on. The device described is a PSX and an SNES in one. The claim is that Sony started with an add-on, threw in SNES hardware, produced said device, and then removed the SNES hardware again. Nobody ever produced an N64/64DD all-in-one box.

      "So what??? you are making the product naming rules now O Highly exaulted one..."

      It's called "market forces." Confusing customers is bad for business. Sony calling two mutually exclusive pieces of hardware on the market "PlayStation" would be like them calling their current VHS VCR line "Betamax." And it flies in the face of Sony's current trend of trying to makes "PlayStation" more a consumer electronics brand name than a piece of hardware (making home a/v components that also happen to play PlayStation software).

      "Why didnt the N64 DD drive get into rotation???"

      It did. Games were made for it. They're uncommon but can generally be found on eBay and most import shops.

      If there was an SNES device that played CDs, Seiken Densetsu 2 (and probably 3) would have been published on CD. As it was, Squaresoft held off publishing Seiken Densetsu 2 as long as it could until it became clear that there would be no such device. Large parts of the game were then cut to fit it into a cartridge. Looking at Squaresoft's track record with Bandai, no matter how unpopular an SNES CD might have been, if it were produced, Squaresoft would have published for it.

    8. Re:Proof by bhtooefr · · Score: 1

      BTW, why couldn't the SNES play a NES game without having two consoles in one? The SNES uses a 65C816 by Western Design Center. It is code-compatible with the WDC 65c02, which is code- and pin-compatible with the MOS/Synertek/others 6502. The NES uses a 6502.

      They didn't make a PSX+SNES. They made a SNES that could play exactly 0 CD games, as no SNES CD games were released.

      AFAIK, they MADE 200 of the Play Station, not sold. They could have been scrapped.

    9. Re:Proof by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      it's pretty fucking obvious that they were never sold to consumers(the 200 being some test batch or another, or devkits). there's shitloads of more exotic console stuff on aftermarkets though if you're willing to fish for it (collectibles). - sony and nintendo were in bed.. and that's where playstation got spawned from, it's not a big secret(there were lawsuits to boot as well).. if you can't believe that then how can you believe that the sun really is hot.

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    10. Re:Proof by dolson · · Score: 1

      Are you saying that I could wire up my old NES carts into my SNES system, and it should work?

      Anyhow, wouldn't Nintendo have sued Sony if they had left the SNES cartridge port on there? Isn't that what NEC did to Sega originally with the HuCard thing?

    11. Re:Proof by bhtooefr · · Score: 1

      Theoretically, with some code between the NES cart and the SNES to translate code optimized for the NES graphics and sound subsystems to the SNES counterparts, and to translate controller signals, it would be very possible.

      Also, I think the Play Station was one of the few licensed Super Famiclones, as Sony was going to make the Super Disc, which Nintendo scrapped because they saw what happened with the Sega CD.

  42. well take it as you can... by demonhold · · Score: 0

    and make as many jokes as your feeble minds are capable of inventing...

    the thing remains that a good as expensive as a console should be something of a well thought over purchase.. or has the Micro$oft spirit taken such a hold in some slahdotters that they will throw their current goods and buy new "upgraded" items without considering that the stuff they alredy posses does the job nicely?

    PS2 is sth like 4 years old. It was a good, sensible decision to buy it. It will probably remain current (that is, it will be able to cope with new releases) for at least 2 other years, until PS3 is released. PSX will be a worhtless expenditure of almost a grand in less that the two years aforementioned...

    I can't see the joke anywhere.

    .

    --
    ... y Dios vio que Linux era bueno... Genesis 99.666
  43. Pirating GC games is hardly more complicated by Pluvius · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...now that someone has released a loader you can use with little technical knowledge. At the very most, pirating GC is as hard as pirating XBox is with the fonts exploit. And hell, you can't even pirate PS2 without a modchip (which requires either quite a bit of money or a decent amount of skill) or that semi-retarded "load the CD from the top" method.

    No, the reason why GC isn't pirated quite as much is because the PSO/BBA exploit was only discovered a few months ago. The XBox fonts exploit has been around for at least a few months longer, and the modchips for both PS2 and XBox have been around for far longer than that. The PSO exploit also isn't quite perfect (since it relies on the BBA to transmit information to the GC) but I figure that will be fixed eventually.

    Rob

    1. Re:Pirating GC games is hardly more complicated by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Pirating GC games is hardly more complicated"

      Hmm. Okay.

      "The PSO exploit also isn't quite perfect (since it relies on the BBA to transmit information to the GC) but I figure that will be fixed eventually."

      HMMMMM. Ohh....kay?

      So, the whole point of two years of ZERO piracy cutting into game sales completely flies over your head? The fact that, even now, you can't troll the streets of Hong Kong and buy a bootleg GCN silver makes no sense to you?

      Face it, you can't discount Nintendo's cleverness in the anti-piracy department simply because Microsoft and Sony are comparatively weak in this regard. What you see as pointless has guaranteed Nintendo (and still does, to this day) that (A) piracy is less of a problem than for its competitors, and (B) that all games sold for use on the GameCube have been, and still are, properly licensed - to the benefit of both Nintendo AND for all game publishers that produce software for the system.

      I am no saint when it comes to IP. But I take my hat off to Nintendo's work on the GameCube disc format, and I'm sure that Sony and Microsoft only WISH that their disc systems were as piracy-proof as Nintendo's (see MS's recent job listings for game console copy-protection engineers).

      Even Nintendo's decision to go with 3" discs instead of 4.5" discs (or something similarly odd) is justifiable. Pre-existing manufacturing and packaging processes make this size obvious if you're not going to go with 5" discs and don't want to go bankrupt manufacturing truly non-standard sized discs. After all is said and done, the only direction you can take from a marketing and anti-piracy standpoint is to smaller discs (for obvious reasons - right?), and the only size that makes sense is the standard 3". Note that I'm not saying that smaller discs are the only way to combat piracy, but they work pretty well, don't they....

  44. 1.1 = 2.0 by fermion · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Didn't the powers that be decree that USB 1.1 shall be refered to as USB 2.0? From the comments on this story, I thought we were supposed to pretend there was no differences because any alleged differences were of no consequence. Anyway, anyone who needed high speeds were terrorist of pirates.

    --
    "She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
  45. No surprise. by GaimeGuy · · Score: 3, Informative

    This is what happens when you rush a product.

  46. Re:well, I will stay with my ps2 for a while yet.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What's the point in buying a PS8 when a couple of years afterwards at the most, PSX will hit the stands?

    (Get it?? PSX as in PS10?)

  47. Boo, Sony! Boo! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It'll break. Just like my PSX (oops, I mean PSOne) did; just like my PS2 did. Besides, it looks like an Xbox.

    It's amazing that Nintendo's 6" little cube is still the best looking console on the market. I don't know if that's a compliment to Nintendo, or an insult to the other companies. Honestly, how hard is it to design a console that's more appealing than a cube with a handle? Holy crap!

    Looking forward to the Nintendo GameSphere of '05. Woh! Talk about rad!

  48. Hope they are IDE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Two versions were released on Saturday the 13th December in Japan, one with 160GB hard drive (PSX DESR-5000), and one with 250GB hard drive (PSX DESR-7000).

    Total sweetness if they are IDE because when the "broken" PSXs hit eBay I know what I'm getting it for :D

  49. here's the deal w/ the feature set... by ethanms · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Basically everyone is trying to cash in on what they think will be the next big thing, the set-top home entertainment "black box". It does video games, it does DVR, it does MP3, it does WWW, it does DVD, etc... except the biggest problem is that like most multi-function devices the first few generations are going to suck.

    XBox2 is supposedly going to match many of these features...

    I think the PSX is Sony biting off way more then it can chew... being able to record DVDs and having massive HD's, etc? The hardware cost is going to be gi-normous... at least MS knew that 10GB HD's were going to be super-cheap in the 6-24 (now 6-48) month selling window... 160/250s are still damn pricey.

    I don't see many parents willing to buy their kids an $800 video game...

    The other side of this (not to start a flame war) is that many of the games on the PS2 simply do not look as good as those on an Xbox. Sony needs to seriously bump their graphics! If this ends up being a "PS2 + DVD Burner" like someone else said it will suck. I know they plan to bump the power, etc, that's a given, but hopefully they will push past Xbox/Xbox2

    Also, WTF is up with no 1394 port? It's a DVD recorder that doesn't interface w/ DV camera's to burn movies? Sony even has their "iLink" version of 1394!

    and another thing... I didn't see any options for DVI, or component output... unless that D Line Out thing was it...

    hopefully they're also planning to offer AC3/DTS via that optical out for most games, because that + HDTV output also put the current gen xbox way ahead of PS2.

    There is also something to be said about reasonably pricing these things... even $200 is a bit much for the average parent/kid, top that off w/ games that are $50+/ea and you'll wind up with a much more limited market.

    Gameboy Advance is great, TONS of games, most are sub-$40, plays all the old Gameboy & Gameboy Color games, the unit price is an easy to swallow $99... Game Cube is now following suit... I think Nintendo is poised to regain video game domination... After 30 minutes of carnage in GTA:3 on Xbox i want to turn it off, but I'll play Advanced Wars 2 on GBA:SP for hours... and the GC/GBA aisle is the first I hit at best buy...

    1. Re:here's the deal w/ the feature set... by UserChrisCanter4 · · Score: 1

      Just a couple of notes there:

      The current PS2 does support component output, albeit interlaced (a couple of games, such as Tekken 4, support a 480p mode by doing so in software). You must purchase the component output cable, which runs about $30. No biggie. Incidentally, this is a very similar arrangement to the XBox, where you need the HD pack to get component, and games still have to support the 480p mode to use it (although a much, much larger range of games support it).

      The optical output is in place mostly for DVD playback. Dolby Digital 5.1 is supported in a lot of pre-rendered/recorded cutscenes, but to my knowledge, it doesn't exist in a gameplay mode for any game. DTS released a middleware package that allows developers to add DTS 5.1 to their games, but it is encoded using one of the processors, so there is a minor performance loss. A few EA games (SSX tricky is the only one I know off the top of my head, but there have been others) use this feature. This is in contrast to the XBox, which has a hardware dolby digital encoder and thus almost all games support DD 5.1.

      All your other points were definitely valid.

    2. Re:here's the deal w/ the feature set... by Rik+Sweeney · · Score: 1

      The other side of this (not to start a flame war) is that many of the games on the PS2 simply do not look as good as those on an Xbox. Sony needs to seriously bump their graphics! If this ends up being a "PS2 + DVD Burner" like someone else said it will suck. I know they plan to bump the power, etc, that's a given, but hopefully they will push past Xbox/Xbox2

      It is just a PS2 + DVD Burner. It is not the successor of the PS2, just another version.

      I'm sure that the Xboxes graphics are better than the PS2s but since the PS2 outsells the Xbox I don't think it's something Sony are worried about.

      --
      Summation 2
    3. Re:here's the deal w/ the feature set... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      at least MS knew that 10GB HD's were going to be super-cheap in the 6-24 (now 6-48) month selling window...
      Uh, no. In fact, 10GB hard drives, if anything, are MORE expensive now.
  50. Gamesphere!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Looking forward to the Nintendo GameSphere of '05. Woh! Talk about rad!

    I guess somebody stole Nintendo's idea... :)

    http://adventures.ngenres.com/screens/95/gamesph er e2.gif

  51. Re:well, I will stay with my ps2 for a while yet.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What's the point in buying a PSX when everyone knows that Sony is dying?

  52. PSX is meaningless by superpulpsicle · · Score: 1

    In japan, every major console released has a line waiting for preorder and a ton of folks waiting to buy the system.

    PSX was the only sony console that required no line at all. Virtually any joe schmole could have bought the system on opening day without any wait time. This tells you the PSX is just one unecessary addition.

  53. Do you know what you're talking about? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    USB2.0 and USB 1.1 are NOT the same thing. USB 1.1 is the "normal speed" or "old" USB standard.

    Why don't you do your research before misleading people with incorrect statements?

    1. Re:Do you know what you're talking about? by TerryMathews · · Score: 1

      You == behind the times. The USB forum did away with USB 1.1, and created USB 2.0 full speed (12Mbps) and high speed (480Mbps).

      Basically, consumers demanded USB 2.0 devices, so the forum did the cheap thing and rewrote the specs so everything could be USB 2.0.

      --
      -- Terry
  54. Multitap.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Couldn't they rig a multitap to work by using controller-extender cables??? Plug the cables from the controller ports to to the multitap.. Perhaps i'm off my rocker here ;)

    1. Re:Multitap.... by Tommy+Boomfiger · · Score: 2, Informative

      The whole reason that the MultiTap wont work is because the configuration of the memory card and controller ports on the PSX are different than on the PS2. The MultiTap has a connector for the memory card in a fixed position right above the connector for the controller.

      --
      ~Tommy Boomfiger http://www.gotapex.com/forums
  55. burn karma burn by SubtleNuance · · Score: 1

    thats profound.

  56. No one wants "all in one" media boxes. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1
    It's been proven time and time again, that no one wants a video/mp3/console/tivo/vcr/stereo/etc system..

    We just want pure games. Online being OPTIONAL, not manditory. No hard drives, no DVD player, no Tivo .. None of that. Just let us stick in our carts or minidiscs and PLAY.

  57. Yo:Aha! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You fail it! You have no will of warrior!

  58. Re:well, I will stay with my ps2 for a while yet.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Touche.

  59. The CNN article I read awhile back... by durtbag · · Score: 2, Informative

    said that SOny's intent wasn't to atract kids or milk out more ps2 sales before ps3 drops, it was to atract high-end consumers who wanted a sleek DVR/DVD player that just happens to play games. The tone of the articlemade it clear that this ins't for gamers, but movie-philes who would occassionally play games - hence no 4player support at launch and shitty 3rd party controller compatability. It'll sell, modestly, like the P.O.S. nGage.

    --
    itadakimasu
  60. Sony's graphics not good? by Kashif+Shaikh · · Score: 1

    "many of the games on PS2 simply do not look as good as those on an Xbox"

    You're wrong. Have you seen:
    Gran Turismo 3? Early game with very realistic(almost photo-realistic) graphics

    WWE: Smackdown Hear Comes The Pain? The successor has AA and good texture/effects(the prior game was really sucky in terms of graphics though)

    Grand Theft Auto 3 & Vice City? Grab a helicoptor then fly around -- amazing graphics and how they can draw huge landscapes.

    1. Re:Sony's graphics not good? by JFMulder · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Than play with the Xbox versions, it's even better. As for huge landscapes, see Amped, that's a game with a far horizon.

      Some PS2 games look good, but all crossplaform games look better on Xbox. Visit websites like Gamespot to see which version is the best and the Xbox one always (except in a few very rare cases) comes first.

    2. Re:Sony's graphics not good? by borg1238 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You're wrong. Have you seen: Grand Theft Auto 3 & Vice City? Grab a helicoptor then fly around -- amazing graphics and how they can draw huge landscapes.

      Sorry dude, I love my PS2, but almost any multiplatform game out there will look better on the XBOX. It's simply a more powerful system.

      Grand theft auto is a great example of this. From the Gamespot review of the XBOX version:
      "The PlayStation 2 versions looked fantastic, given the relatively underpowered PS2 hardware, and the ports that appeared on the PC did a nice job of cleaning up and improving upon the original PS2 games. But the Xbox versions of the games go one step further than that. You'll immediately notice reflections coming off the cars, and the lighting in general is better. The texture quality and character models have been improved. The draw distance seems a little further out. And the frame rate remains pretty stable throughout. The games take advantage of the Xbox's audio prowess by playing in Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and offering support for the custom soundtrack feature."

  61. White? by borg1238 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I know this is a minor point, but the color will make it stand out like a sore thumb on most people's shelves. Why not make it black or gray? It would at least match Sony's own line of Wega TV's.

    Maybe it their subtle way of getting it noticed:
    "What's that big white box on your shelf"
    "Oh that's the PSX!"