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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.
I wonder if this pushes back the PS9 to 2034. I mean, c'mon, I saw the commercials for that over a year and a half ago.
When did Sony buy out Jasc software and aquire Paint Shop pro? ... Oh! Playstation... Erm... ... Is this the way out?
Hate me!
Let's just hope this doesn't fortell a delay in the PS3 then :-(
Simon
Physicists get Hadrons!
can we really call it a PlayStation???
45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
...I doubt we'll see a 2004 release date for Nintendo's DS, either. Nintendo is infamous for delaying it's release dates (remember when they repeatedly clamed, even towards late 2000, that the Gamecube would see a simultaneous worldwide launch by the holidays? It was released late 2001.) And, I don't think Nintendo ever said that the DS would see a 2004 launch (though I could be wrong) to begin with...
If I'm not mistaken, didn't Nintendo say that the DS was not meant to be vying for the same market as the PSP, but rather there would be a new Gameboy to do that?
You probably shouldn't click this.
You're right! What we need are games with full FMV at every plot twist turn and a focus on graphics rather than gameplay and actually having fun!
Some of the simplest games, i.e. Tetris, are some of the most enjoyable. Tetris sold the original black and white GB back in the day.
Nintendo's most inventive games, Pikmin, Animal Crossing, have more to do with being innovative and groundbreaking than graphical wizardy.
There's more to life than pretty pictures.
Nintendo clearly was launching the DS when they were to take the attention away from the PSP... even if the DS doesn't succeed, the PSP would not have gotten all of the news (or attention). It was simply a marketing strategy designed to steal the PSP's initial thunder.
I think that the reason they are delaying is that by the new release date, the DS will be out for a couple of months... therefore, the DS will quiet down enough for Sony to get the media coverage they desire again.
I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo delays the DS launch as a result.
Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor
That's what I thought too, but after adjusting to the old school graphics I'm starting to play it a bit more than all my other consoles/PC etc. Final Fantasy Tactics and the beauty that is Metroid Zero Mission suck you in.
It all comes down to gameplay, and of course being cheap and with a massive library helps a lot. I'm still jonesing for a PSP, but the GBA will hold me off until then I'm sure.
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
A Station would imply it's STATIONary.
Why don't we called it a PlayMobile.
Maybe you'll be able to play Duke Nukem Forever on it, too :-)
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Sony: Oh, yeah, it won't be ready until 2005...
Customers: Groan...
Fast Forward to Deceber 5, 2004
Sony: Oh, btw, the PSP is for sale now, at $20 more than we thought...
Customers: Quick! Run to the stores!
Since this is supposed to be the "Walkman of the 21st Century", and will have USB, memory stick technology, etc., it seems unlikely that "waiting for games" is a valid reason not to release it when they said they would. They may be having problems, or may be trying to stir up demand. I'm guessing the latter.
libertarianswag.com
Has to be better than releasing it and having to listen to hordes of fans say, "yea, its aight, but aint' got no games". We have all seen lack of games or even lack of good games hurt gaming systems in the past. Want a nice protable gaming system, wait a few years when the price of palm-tops drop. I'll be playing Drug Wars in color baby! heh
I thought the PSP as a portable PSX, and played PSX titles.. Guess not, that would have been cool.
I guess it's another cartridge based handheld for GameBoy to lay waste to. I seriously doubt it will succeed where Lynx, GameGear, Nomad, TGXpress, NeoGeo Pocket, Game.com, and now NGage have failed.
But I would have bought a handheld PSX. Maybe PSX hardware is just too easy to hack?
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
Because the PS1 is almost 10 years old at this point, and the PS2 can play every PS1 game ever made.
Assuming they can afford one, and there's at least some PS2 games that someone likes, why would they be buying a PS1 when they could get a PS2 and have the best of both worlds? And even then, i've heard of plenty of people that use their PS2's largely for playing old PS1 games.
Use your head, instead of trying to sound superior.
There are two ways of looking at this:
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
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.
...but they've already made a PocketStation...
The problem with holding out to release the PSP months after the DS is that they risk losing big time. Consider the current console situation. PS2 makes it to market months before the other 2 systems and completely solidifies itself as the #1. microsoft and nintendo don't even come close.
This situation is kinda the flipside. Nintendo dominates the handheld market. When they release the DS they will have a huge number of developers lined up to release titles, because they already have a huge number of developers working on the GBA. DS comes out first, people jump all over it (as this is nintendo's #1 specialty), and who's going to want to buy a PSP a few months down the line after you've already invested in several games for your DS? granted, there's always be the cutting edge geeks who have money to burn, but parent's aren't going to want to shell out money for another system when little johnny just got a DS just 3 months ago.
The graphics are only awful if you compare them to modern games.
The GBA's graphics is only getting better over time... as I've seen lately by playing Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town... they are starting to actually stand atop the original 16-bit games in the SNES and Genesis.
I for one am a hardcore gamer so graphics do not matter. Nonetheless, for what it's worth, the GBA's graphics are AWESOME! Compared to XBOX though? Of course not... but don't be a fanboy.
"Instant gratification takes too long." - Carrie Fisher
Wow...what great analysis. Mods? Where are you? Mod this guy +1 Insightful! The PS1 is an old system that no longer has games made for it, dude. That's also a poor analogy, since the N-Gage has better graphics than the GBA yet the latter is far more popular. Maybe games and name brands are important too?
(seriously the DS2 is the lamest idea I've heard in a long time)
- For the complete works of Shakespeare: cat
The PSP uses new special discs (I believe they are the same size as GCN discs and mini-cd's) that can only be read on the PSP.
What does this mean?
PSP is not just a video game system, it's an opportunity to sell music and movies on yet another physical media format. Way to go, Sony.
And the battery life will be teh short.
The delay to 2005 doesn't faze me at all, as I probably won't own one of these bad boys until 2006 at the earliest, unless Sony is planning on a much, much lower price point than I am expecting.
Much Love,
Arek
There's already a Playstation Portable. Homemade.
He also makes all sorts of other portables. Check it out.
Xbox reviews.. We think they're funny.
Bah, this is nothing new. Every console gives this excuse. It doesn't really mean they'll have more launch titles. I bet it still only launches with 10 or so games.
Could it be because Sony Computer Entertainment refuses to issue licenses to produce new titles for the PS1 console?
Great civilizations have lived and died on false theories. Don't mess up mine with a few facts.
...I really hope that was a pun. :-|
Personally, I think the Nintendo DS will out perform the PSP even if the two were released at the same date (or even if the PSP was released a few months before). Nonetheless, the Nintendo DS won't have to get delayed because of a lack of games, because Nintendo is all about it's gaming lineup.
While Sony is wondering "Damn. How the hell are we going to get GTA3 on this handheld...??" Nintendo is off laughing at them while far in the lead.
The reason main Nintendo is doing as good as they are is because of the games -- not the system specs of their consoles. Catch them if you can Sony, Nintendo can only release more games, downshift, and take off. They have been doing this for years and will continue to do it.
"Instant gratification takes too long." - Carrie Fisher
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?
Right now, the Gameboy Advance system has a huge advantage: library of titles. From turn based strategy games to action, role playing and "quirky" like "WarioWare Megagames Inc", the GBA has just about any toe to toe battle locked up. It's cheap (under $100), batteries last a long time, and a huge library.
Sony has to realize this after seeing the #1 reason why the PS2 kicked the pants off the Xbox: library. Is the later a more powerful system? For the most part, sure - it's hard to argue otherwise. But when you're a gamer looking at 200+ titles including all the PSOne games and built in DVD play as opposed to less titles (and a lower number of prime choice - I'd say 5-10 on the Xbox I'd want to have opposed to 20-40 on the PS2), you've won the battle.
So for Sony to delay the PSP in the US is a good idea. Let the Japanese market "beta test" it, shake out the issues, then go the big market with guns ablazing. By then enough Japanese developers can make their games and have the additional 6 months to pick and choose the good ones to port to the North American market.
Otherwise, they'll just be another N-Gage - an expensive toy that doesn't justify the high cost.
52 Weeks, 52 Religions with John Hummel
I get your point about Tetris vs FMV, but there were plenty of versions that didn't focus on Gameplay but managed to be alright fun because the game was so simple. Only one version got everything right: Spectrum Holobyte's Tetris Classic was the only version with controls well-crafted enough to allow an expert Tetris player to play at a speed that was limited by the brain and not the fingers. AND it had scoring to encourage Tetrises.
Looks like it'll come bundled with its own version of Duke Nukem Forever!
Sorry, I missed 15 Japanese-only games that 90% of past, present, or future US PS1/PS2 owners probably don't even know exist.
And since this story deals with the US market...Unless you're a rabid importer of Japanese titles, that does absolutely nothing to invalidate the points raised in my original post. Nice job nit-picking, though, I guess i'm not perfect after all.
If the PSP was supposed to be able to run (with slight modification) the original Playstation games, why do they need to wait for more titles. Why can't the just bring it to market with a several dozens or so of the best PS games and a handful of new ones? It worked for the GBA.
I think the delay is due to it's cost. Sony still has to find a way to cut down the price. The delay won't help the numbskull customers at the local game store who have been insisting that the PSP is out in Japan though. This just gives Sony more mindless hype time.
I hope Nintendo's next Gameboy is simply a handheld Gamecube with a cartridge slot for backwards-compatibility. Think about it--the Gamecube discs are already small enough. And then Nintendo would already have a product line as well as developers familiar with the system.
I'd love to go from Metroid Zero Mission to Metroid Prime on one handheld Gameboy...
I cannot wait until Nintendo get some real competition. Gameboy has had too long a monopoly on the handheld gaming industry.
It took them god knows how many years before they released the GB advanced. With a push from Sony PSP, consumers can leapfrog straight to PS1 quality games and force Nintendo to be the "low end" of the market.
Ifso, the statement 'until it has a 'reasonable amount' of titles to launch with the system' does not make too much sense imo : Or the porting itself is having problems : In which case the delay can have hardware problems as the cause.
Not seeing any conspiracies here, just seems a bit odd to me : Looking forward to this handheld beats though :)
Is that really a motto? Well, they don't always come. GameSpy had an interesting article, "The Top Ten Handhelds That Never Made It", which both Sony and Nintendo decision-makers may want to look over.
"It seems that many japanese companies like to tease us Americans for a while while they have the latest gadgetry...."
I read in a magazine somewhere that part of that delay is that it takes like 6 months to FCC approve a game system, Japan doesn't have that sort of wait.
I would, of course, appreciate details on this. This is the same magazine that said the N64 was going to run at a 'zippy 500mhz'. They didn't understand that it was just the memory bus.
"Derp de derp."
Dear Sony,
Hi. We like the PSP. But to coincide with your request that we port all our classics to the PSP so that you can actually sell one, we're going to need a bit more time.
Love,
Square Enix
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.
Well, that's okay for platforms with a headphone jack...
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
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
IGN and Gamespot make mistakes, or their sources make mistakes. That happens quite a bit, a lot of the publications I've worked for or provided content for have made mistakes, and much to my dismay we've failed to correct it due to embarssment.
Anyway, Nintendo never had an official date for the Dolphin but the plan was always to release it after Sony (basically to have better technology available to them). They didn't announce an official time frame until Spaceworld 2000 which was in August 2000.
Anyway, a lot of other things that got picked up by large organizations with regard to Nintendo for example were that the Game Cube's discs were mini-DVDs (they are actually matsushita optical discs using an optical lens). A number of LEGITIMATE publications continue to call them mini-DVDs due to a few sources misinformation that started it all. A lot of times it can be hard to get urban legends out of the legitimate information system.
...and the mark-up. Japanese consumers generally tolerate much higher markups (it's for the good of the country, after all) than Americans and Europeans. One particularly relevant example from the many I've seen in Japan is the Sony PS2 -- it debuted in Japan for Yen49,500, about US$500 at the time. It wouldn't fly well in the US at that price point, and for those that money is no obstacle for, they can import one themselves. If you can get one -- they were out of stock everywhere even at $500 when I considered getting one in Akihabara.
everything in moderation
I'd like to point out that people's main complaints about the Lynx and Game Gear was not a lack of good games (GG Sonic was a great ride), but about the quickly eaten battery life. After just 2 hours of play, your 5 dollar pack of AA batteries was gone, and you had little recourse but to buy more. A Game Boy could go for 10 hours on those same batteries... And would ensure that you spent more money on games than on Duracells. The second largest complaint was the cost of the systems. The Nomad was an awesome machine with the Genesis' entire library as a weapon, but at a hair over 200 dollars it was too much for the schoolchildren market to support.
Really, Nintendo's portables are in the place they are because Nintendo understands the market. They know that portable systems are sold to people who don't drive, don't work, and don't pay attention in class. They know that they need to keep costs down as much as possible, while still providing a comparatively passable gaming experience. Ruggedness beats elegance, satisfaction must be instant.
If it really was "all about" Nintendo's gaming lineup, the '64 and the 'Cube would have a much larger marketshare. Nintendo follows fundamentally the same strategy with all of their consoles. But their positioning of the GB, GBP, GBC, and the GBA in the market is truly exceptional, and a lesson that no other system manufacturer has yet to learn.
Sony is truly venturing into unmarked territory here with a $200 system for the 20+ crowd. GTA3 on that thing would be a AAA seller, and don't delude yourself into thinking Pokemon Chartreuse will stop that. Obviously it won't be competing to get under the desks of kids saving up their lunch money for a gaming fix, but not because Nintendo has better games.
The ______ Agenda
The GBA can run Quake I, but at an absolutely terrible framerate. The GBA CPU does not have a divide instruction, or floating point support, which really limits the amount of 3D you can do.
Also, ever play Doom or Duke 3D for GBA ? Doom has such a low framerate its nauseating. Duke 3D is so low resolution you can barely make anything out. Wolf3D is about the limits of the 3D the GBA can do comfortably.
It's yet another last-ditch, desperate attempt for Sony to try to make the MiniDisc technology and patent pool relevant.
Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
Something I've noticed is that these discussions of the PSP (which inevitably lead to discussions about the PSP vs. the GB(A/SP)) leave out the issue of how well complex 3D games are even going to play on a small screen at a low resolution. Games like Doom and Wolfenstein 3D played really well at 320x240, but moving into the realm of stuff like Quake the minimum reasonable resolution was really 640x480. Nowadays people want to play their games at 1024x768 or higher. Even NTSC television has a higher resolution than the PSP. So to the heart of it: are 3D games even going to be very playable at a lower resolution on a tiny screen?
As it is I definitely have to sit closer to the TV playing current-generation 3D games. With complicated (and smalll!) menus and instructional text, not to mention tiny objects which are not all that noticeable even on a regular television I can't imagine the frustration of playing these kinds of games with a handheld, in potentially bad lighting, with hordes of surrounding visual distractions (if I play a portable, it's in a car/bus/train, or somewhere else in public).
So, that being said.. if the PSP comes out with a big library of 3D games ported from the PS/PS2, I think it may suffer a nasty fate. Nintendo has a huge 2D library, Sony has/licenses enough 2D games to maybe take two hands to count. 2D games to me seem much easier to play (in general) than 3D games in a visually restrictive environment, and I'm not going to buy a PSP if/until I find it playable and it has a good library. One or both of those things might not even occur. I think people without unlimited pockets will hold out for good titles at least, things which make sense to play in limited time frames. Sony may fall victim to the industry shift to "nothing but 3D," and "let's make games more complicated." It will be an interesting event, if nothing else.
you can take the road that takes you to the stars...