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Sony Delays PSP To 2005
An anonymous reader writes "CNN Money's Game Over column is reporting that Sony has delayed the launch of the PSP handheld gaming system in the U.S. until it has a 'reasonable amount' of titles to launch with the system. This will push the PSP to 2005 in the States, giving Nintendo free reign in the holiday season - as well as a possible headstart for the Nintendo DS." Some earlier reports had indicated the PSP was due to launch worldwide in November 2004.
one good thing is that the price of the PSP at launch probably goes down as the launch date is delayed. i really hope sony doesn't try to throw the kitchen sink into the PSP - it should be a videogame system and nothing else. there is no need for an N-Gage 2.
smd4985
That being said, I also wouldn't rush to crown Sony just yet. Nintendo has had the handheld market for years, first because of Mario and then because of Pokemon. Now, it has the added bonus of GCN connectivity, an unfortunate necessity in games like Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles but a pleasant side bonus for other games such as Zelda, Metroid Prime, Splinter Cell, etc...
Remember the Game Gear? Or its innovative yet poorly received cousin the Nomad? Sega had a brand name (Sonic) at the time, something Sony doesn't really have to the same degree. I think the PSP will target your market, people who want high-end portable graphics, but there are lots of kids who like Pokemon and Mario just fine in 2D form.
I have a hunch the PSP will be almost as big a flop as the N-Gage, but that's largely a guess then educated prognosticating.
I work in the games industry, Nintendo NEVER claimed that. The Dolphin as it was called at the time (based on the ATI "flipper" chip was always planned for a release around 2001. The system was first shown off at Spaceworld 2000 and before that had a tenative release date of 2001.
According to: http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=tech nologyNews&storyID=4438857
"Analysts have seen the PSP as a potential rival to Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s dominant Game Boy handheld player, Nokia's N-Gage wireless gaming device and Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod and iTunes music download service."
Let me seee... the PSP is supposed to compete in:
1. The portable videogame market (mass price point $99, that requires a solid library of games, and a device that can potentially be used by people from all ages without breaking).
2. The not-so-popular market of cell phone + videogame device. (
3. The Portable Music player (that currently is led by a company that not only has improved the online music business (through a store that supposedly can barely break even), but considers these devices as an entry level computer to entice potential costumers into their other product lines.
PEOPLE.... Just looking at how segmented each market is, I think that If Sony can launch this utopic product at a reasonable price point (which seems to be $199) consumers WILL benefit.
HOWEVER, a more realistic approach will be to release a videogame device (as a core), with the potential to have phone modules (don't ask me) or mass storage for MP3's, movies, etc (Memory sticks??, PSP-Disks???).
Otherwise I rather keep my GBA (or GBA2) rather than buy an overpriced device, that is neither a good phone, neither nor a good MP3 player and that because of this, doesn't have a decent games library.
Any ideas?
IGN jumped the gun in guessing the release time, Nintendo was just giving tenatives dates and lots of large publications made guesses based on that. If I remember correctly the Nihon Shizbun (sp) a large Japanese newspaper incorrectly stated that Nintendo was planning a late 2000 Japanese release and the story got carried over to other media outsides.
Also, it's worth noting that by late 2000 (as you mentioned in your original post) The Game Cube was scheduled for a 2001 release (as officially announced at SpaceWorld 2000 held in August 2000).
Anyway, I've been working on the media end of the gaming industry for around 5 years, I don't actually work for a publisher or developer though.
The reason the original Game Boy was a hit was not because of Mario, but more because Nintendo bundled a copy of Tetris in with the purchase of a game boy unit. Bam, twenty million Game Boy's sold, almost immediately. The concept of having a portable version of Tetris went over with EVERYBODY, and it was so successful at launch, that in Japan, it actually caused a national crisis and Yen shortage, due to the overwhelming demand.
a little rumour piece I read in game informer magazine (http://www.gameinformer.com).
It mentioned that several developers did not find the system easy to work with and thus there would not be that many titles available for launch.
On an unrelated note, GI is a pretty cool mag. I got it for free with that stupid EB card discount thingie, and it is usually full of good stuff. Its the only "game" magazine that i acutally enjoy reading.
Look out honey cause I'm usin' technology
Ain't got time to make no apologies
Meanwhile the PSP has two processors based on an R4000 core, each at 333MHz. Compare this to a Sony Playstation with a single R3000 at 33.8688 MHz (30 MIPS, bus bandwidth 132 Mb/sec), Sega Saturn with two Hitachi SuperH (SH-2) at 28.6 MHz (each 25 MIPS Plus 22.6MHz Yamaha FH1 24-bit DSP and a couple of video processor chips, and just for giggles, Playstation 2 which is harder to quantify from specifications but its Emotion Engine based around a 2-issue 128 bit MIPS design with 3.2GB/sec bandwidth to main memory, not to mention the couple of vector coprocessors more powerful (though less general-purpose) than the core. Oh yeah, and the same R3000 core (or something programatically the same) as the Playstation is tucked in there too. But, I digress. The PSP is slightly like a baby PS2. It has only one vector unit, but it still has one. The clock rate is basically the same (slightly higher, but not really worth mentioning) as a PS2. It should be a powerhouse of a system. My only regret is that it will probably be locked down pretty tight and I hate to support that kind of thing.
Nonetheless the PSP is a kind of revolution that puts it dramatically beyond today's handhelds, as today's handhelds are ahead of, well, some of the old handhelds. (You would have a hard time convincing me that a GBA is really that much better than a Turbo Express, for example, or even a Lynx, except for form factor.) Of course GBA is not a speed demon, but it wasn't trying to be. However the fact that the GBA SP is so wildly successful in spite of its lack of power does not show that there is not a market for a more expensive device that does it all. After all, Gamecube and Playstation 2 are both still doing quite well.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"