Sony Connect To Hook Up With PlayStation Portable?

An anonymous reader writes "UK video game site C&VG has posted a story rumoring Sony's PlayStation Portable handheld game console will allow both music and games to be downloaded via the newly announced Sony Connect online download store. An industry source quoted in the article says: 'PSP is intended to be able to link up with Sony Connect to offer digital music for download, but the bigger deal is the plan to put PSP games up there for download eventually, too.' C&VG says this rumor, if true, shows 'Sony's alleged drive to ultimately cut-out retail and handle distribution of software itself' - we'll find out for sure next week at E3." Elsewhere, GamePro/Famitsu interviews leading Japanese PSP developers, with Atlus producer Hideyuki Yokoyama saying: "I expect downloads and fees to be the primary business model."

Comments

Important Question

[tcgwebs]

Will they allow "classic" PS1/PS2 games to be downloaded in the same way?

Interesting move

[Dark Paladin]

Right now, Nintendo has a problem with people downloading rom files for the Game Boy Advance, and playing them with a growing number of emulators for platforms from the PC, OS X, Linux, GP32, and maybe even Palm Pilots.

So to combat that, they've created "value added" features, such as their Connectivity system: if you want to get the Tingle Tuner for the Gamecube, you need a GBA + Gamecube + an actual copy of the game. In some cases, it's worked (see "Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles" and others), so that's Nintendo's move.

Sony seems to have a different idea: use the Internet. Assuming that you'll be able to use Sony Memory Sticks with your PSP, then you can just download games off the 'Net and play them. Granted, these games won't be the 1.8 GB that their PSP disks can hold, so it will be the difference between playing, say, "Final Fantasy VII" on your PSP and playing "Chrono Trigger".

Still, it's an interesting move: Sony's betting that there won't be a PSP emulator for long enough to squeeze profits out of this. And if they allow people to create their own "burned" PSP disks from downloads (sure, 1.8 GB takes awhile, but you never know), then they just have to make their system difficult to mod for "pirated" games.

I'm still in a "wait and see" for both the DS and the PSP, but I think both items will have different markets that should prove interesting to a range of gamers.

Re:Interesting move

[gl4ss]

There's other players in the arena already..

Most of n-gages sales and software seem to lie in the online stores. Series60 software(that runs on the n-gage as well other s60 phones) is mostly available only online, including the best games available for it(such as Sky Force, which is an excellent shoot'em'up in 1942 style, which imho is better than any of the n-gage only games). Though, maybe they're looking for a way to get a cut of that side of the action with their own store.

however, I kinda doubt you won't be able to be a (real) developer as easily for their system without paying any license fees as you can be for the symbian(or for the j2me devices) at the moment.

Only...

[baudilus]

...if your talking about ROFL. This is going to be a costly p/r ploy by Sony.

I'll wait until the PSP itself is cheaper.

[dethl]

"In related news, our source also revealed that Sony is currently leaning towards a price point of $249-299 in the US..."

If Nintendo can beat this price, I don't think Sony has a chance at getting the handheld market. I personally wouldn't want to pay that much for just a handheld.

Re:I'll wait until the PSP itself is cheaper.

[baudilus]

You're right - I do not have so much of a craving for games that I need to spend more than the actually PS2 costs just to be able to play them on the go. Nintendo has already beaten this price - sure the GBA:SP isn't as powerful, but who cares? You have fun games like Mario Kart: Super Circuit to keep you company.

Besides, I have my iPod for music.

Sony is tickling my inner hippie

[Frigid Monkey]

Ok, so this is a little embarrasing but with the amount of games that were distributed for the PS1 that are now filling up landfills, not to mention the industrial waste from producing all those cds/dvds eliminating the packaging/disk/instructions might not be so bad, heck I'm going to go play my PSP in a TREE damnit!
OTOH, eliminating the retail side of sales will cut all us little guys trying to make a buck slingin' games to pimply kids straight out.
"I'm sorry we don't carry Madden 2006, it's availible only from sony.biz.com.monopoly"

I hope they consider..

[SCSi]

The people who can only get dialup access, or the're going to burn a good majority of their users..

Re:I hope they consider..

[Anonymous Coward]

Typical ignorant post. Most people in the developed world can't get broadband access to the internet, that includes the USA.

Value add of retail shops?

[Tyggyr]

So what's the value-add of retail shops anyway?

I would think a retail store staffed with knowledgeable, helpful people who know & play the game, and can help with appropriate selections, would have nothing to fear from online distribution.

Of course if someone is just pushing boxes, then they should be afraid...

Re:Value add of retail shops?

[dubiousmike]

The value is getting out of your house. See some hot chicks at the mall. Duh.

So iTMS to sell iPods

[foidulus]

Andy Sony Connect to sell PSPs. Though actually this time I think it will work in reverse, PSPs will sell Sony Connect since I would imagine the primary motiviation of most people who will plunk down the few hundred dollars for one of these bad boys is not to listen to music :P Maybe Sony is hoping that it will generate revenue for the Sony Connect(since Sony has it's own music label, they stand to make a lot more money if the Sony store becomes successful, since they will be collecting the 70 cent royalties, provided people buy Sony's music)

Thoughts

[clu76]

Not a bad idea. But I feel Sony might be doing themselves a disservice by making the PSP an all purpose device. It has great potential to suffer from a serious identity crisis.

It plays games, movies, music, it slices, it dices, and can still easily cut through a tomato. But unless it excels in every feature, might be better to buy devices dedicated to one purpose. I personally don't want to use the PSP for music playback if it isn't going to be as good or better than my ipod. my $0.02

Re:Thoughts

[MogwaiJeeper]

Very nice. Not to mention the fact that real geeks like to have lots of toys to accomplish all their tasks...

I have a phone that I use as... a phone. Sure, it can do calendar, contacts, all kinds of organizer functions, but I use it as a phone. I have an iPod that I use to *gasp* play music. I have a PDA that I use as an organizer. I have a watch that I use to tell time. I have a GBA that I use to play games. I have all these neat little toys, and I LIKE it that way.

I don't want one device that does it all. Not because it's not good... I'm sure the NGAGE^H^H^H^H^H PSP is good at what it does, but I want multiple devices because he who dies with the most toys wins... at least that's how it works for geeks.

Downloadable games

[Anonymous Coward]

It's easy enough to pirate the seemingly crackproof media PS2 uses but it would be even easier to pirate a PSP game. whats to stop me from downloading one from alt.binaries.games instead of sonys online store?

So what security measures are there if any to stop pirating...

Hmm just let me enter my cdkey..

up down X R1 L1 L2 start select triangle!

Re:Downloadable games

[NanoGator]

"It's easy enough to pirate the seemingly crackproof media PS2 uses but it would be even easier to pirate a PSP game. whats to stop me from downloading one from alt.binaries.games instead of sonys online store?"

How are you going to burn those little discs?

Vapour (ohhhh! UK spelling!)

[mekkab]

Copy apple with iTunes/iPod, that sounds great.

Show me the money. Err, downloads.

You can talk all you want, and thats great. But I don't believe Sony until its in my hands. Sure, I love it once I can buy it, but promises from never-never land mean nothing.

Sony Connect Reviewed

[No_Weak_Heart]

David Pogue at NY Times trashes Sony's Connect service.

Re:Sony Connect Reviewed

[No_Weak_Heart]

Pardon me, here's a different link, the Google News workaround link. Don't be shy about looking it up yourself next time -- comes in handy if you're actually interested in the content.

On the other hand, if your objective is to rail against evil site registration then I can see how you couldn't be bothered.

Re:i thought it had an optical drive?

[foidulus]

It will use sony's proprietary memory stick to hold music, game data, goat.cx pics, whatever you want.

Convenience

[phorm]

It doesn't have to be great at everything, just great at the primary application, and convenient for others. My PS2 in many cases isn't the best DVD player, but it's been pretty good at playing some discs I borrowed from a friend recently (when my PC, which usually plays DVD's is busy burning them instead).

Sure, I could go buy a DVD player for cheap, but really the PS2 does the job, and nowadays I use it more for video than games.

Remember, not all of us have an ipod. If Sony adds said functionality for cheap and it works half-decently, it'll probably be useful.

pic?

[chachob]

funny how the nintendo gameboy is used as the logo for a sony playstation article, eh?

Surprised? I'm not.

[Thedalek]

Didn't anyone else notice that Sony was touting the new discs to be used in the PSP as a new end-user storage media (meaning not exclusive to games)? How they went on and on about how the PSP was going to be the new Walkman? How they talked about watching movies and listening to music on it?

What about piracy?

[chrispyman]

While that sounds like a nice way for Sony to cut out the middle man, you're forgetting that it's alot harder to physically copy a copy-protected, non-standard format game disc than, oh, some file you download to a hard drive. After all, the only way to pirate GameCube discs was due to a buffer overflow in Phantasy Star Online. I can only asume that online game distribution would be pretty easy to crack compared to cd copying.

Great idea

[Lord_Dweomer]

This is great. Even better if the PSP could wirelessly download it from a hotspot or something. My big question though is once you've downloaded the music/movies/media to your PSP, will you be able to transfer it to your computer? Or will you just have to leave it on the PSP, and repurchase it once you've deleted it because you needed to make room for other files?

Re:Great idea

[News for nerds]

Small games and other data you created on PSP can be exported only to a Sony memory stick with MagicGate supported, I guess. Data you don't create such as large movies and games will be only for physical unrewritable UMD media to store contents which big boys will supply.
As for connectivity to PC, a software with DRM, which is something like Windows Media 9 Series, may be supplied from Sony to manage MagicGate-protected data which originally belong to PSP.

Re:Sony wins!

[nfotxn]

This will put those Xbox fans back on their ass where they belong!

Well, it's kinda hard to play those long Halo sessions standing up. To each their own, I suppose.

PSP Pipe Dreams

[Anonymous Coward]

I hear lots of marketing hype about Pricing, Connectivity, Storage, Raw graphical grunt, and making this beast of a handheld perform everything short of fellatio (Sonys tried and tested tactic of quietly reducing the features availible closer to launch aside). But I hear very little about the actual games and battery life, the two most important ingredients for any sucessful handheld, nice to know Sony have got their priorities right.
Then again, judging by the damp squib that was the PS2 launch lineup I'm not surprised.

Not saying YOU bought an N-Gage, but ...

[boarder8925]

I personally wouldn't want to pay that much for just a handheld.

It's amazing how many people who bought the N-Gage would probably say something like this ... ;)

I don't know about you but I rather own my games.

[ITR81]

I don't want to DL games (dialup like over 50% of the US). I like having actual instructions and not some .pdf file of it. I actually like to touch my games and collect them. I will not subscribe or rent my games from Sony.

Another Q? How can they sell it at $299 or less when in Japan they have stated a $699 price range?? Sounds like they will be taking a Xbox route on this one.

I think I'll be going with the Nintendo DS which will also play the entire GB lib...and probably still cost less.

Which brings up a good point...

[Hamster Lover]

Anti-piracy advocates like to drone on about how piracy raises prices for everyone. Why, then, are GC discs still so outrageously priced if piracy has not made a dent in their profit margin? Wind Waker is still C$69.99 in stores months after a very successful release.

It seems that only the shit titles see a price cut to attract otherwise uninterested customers.

Either the game companies are greedy or piracy has relatively little affect on console game prices.

... wtf?

[GaimeGuy]

I'm reading all these comments about "GREAT! BRILLLIANT MOVE, SONY! Use retail kiosks as a means of game distribution!"

Yet, when Nintendo announced, and implemented, this feature into the iQue, I heard nothing but bashing from the internet community. Why the hell is it that everything nintendo does is a stupid move, but when done by Sony, it's the best business strategy ever? Not to mention the fact that they're touting PSP/PS3 connectivity, a la GC/GBA. -_-

Too expensive to move just for broadband

[tepples]

For people in many geographical areas, the choice is still either dial-up, ISDN, or a $$$/mo T1 line, without any offer between ISDN and T1. What suggestion do you have for them?