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PSP Pricing Announced
Grey Ninja writes "GC Advanced has reported from the Tokyo Game Show that the PSP will retail for $349.99. Coupled with the previously announced price of the Nintendo DS at $149.99, it's going to be interesting to see if Sony will be able to convince developers and consumers alike that the price point is a good one. It's looking more and more all the time like Nintendo's going to take this one." Update: 09/28 17:24 GMT by Z: The story seems to have devolved into rumour under examination. Take this one with a grain of salt.
Call that a handheld?
Tedious Bloggy Stuff - hooray?
For $350, I better get some SERIOUSLY advanced SideTalkin' functionality!
The fact that the DS is "just a game system" is a major selling point for me. I don't want a portable system that plays DVDs, MP3s, makes breakfast, etc.
Amir0x
Sep 24 2004, 09:37 PM
$349.99
To launch with approximately 12 games in Japan; hopefully more in USA.
QUOTE(Gamespot)
Today during an early-morning press conference, Sony finally revealed the price point and release date for its first portable gaming device, the PSP. The PSP will launch for a suggested retail value of 38,624 Yen, or 349.99 dollars in the USA.
Talk of a "competitive price point" quickly dissolved with news of this shocking price point. In its statement, Sony commented that the PSP is "not meant to compete directly with the market targeted by the Nintendo DS" and that it is "appropriately priced for its expectations and target demographic." Sony noted, however, that they hope to "bring new consumers into the world of portable gaming" noting that the PSP is "the most advanced handheld device for gaming ever conceived."
Also of importance during the press conference was the target release dates for Japan and USA.
Sony announced that it plans to launch in Japan on December 21st with "at least 12 games" and in the USA during the month of March, although it's interesting to note that they did not set a specific day for this event. The PSP is expected to launch with at least 8 games in the USA, but Sony says "it expects even more than twelve", including the new Need For Speed Underground.
Well.. Well.
Discuss.
Hahaha, anyway, I'm bored so what's up with you guys?
http://torchthebridge.com/forum/index.php?showtopi c=1905
Amir0x
Sep 24 2004, 11:53 PM
ANYWAY...
As any NON idiot already knew (no offense fellas), this story is...
A 100% COMPLETE HOAX
It was...
a.) An experiment to see how QUICKLY people would jump on a story like this about Sony, despite NO evidence at all and a dead link and even a FUCKING MESSAGE IN THE ORIGINAL POST THAT THE STORY WAS FAKE (albeit in small text)
and...
b.) Because I was bored, and wanted to see how many people fell for it!
At Penny-Arcade, even more people fell for it and were quick to judge!
So, all's well.
Tobliz was in on it.
Riot was in on it.
Crandle was in on it.
Leto knew.
That is all. CONTINUE YOUR DISCUSSION.
It appears, however, that the PSP will probably be 299, which depending on your viewpoint is still quite bad. Although, that's exactly the price I expected it to launch at. I was hoping for 250 or less. I still won't buy it at 299.
This post has been edited by Amir0x: Sep 24 2004, 11:54 PM
http://torchthebridge.com/forum/index.php?showtopi c=1905&st=150
Amir0x
Posted: Sat Sep 25, 2004 5:01 am
Re: And the PSP price is....
Anyway, guys...
the 350 dollar story is a hoax.
Originally I posted it at TTB to see how many people fell for it, but if you read the actual first post in contained an actual note (at TTB) which all but came out and said it was a hoax. It was just a joke for TTB, but Atog posted it before I could tell him and then well it was funny seeing responses here.
It turned out pretty funny.
However, the PSP might now be 299, so that's still not to pocket book friendly. Let's discuss that.
http://www.penny-arcade.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t =77166&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start= 150
Amir0x
Posted: Sat Sep 25, 2004 5:07 am
Re: And the PSP price is....
---
Dioretsa wrote:
w...
t f.
You lied to us?
---
I was prankin' TTB. But then Atog posted it here and was like "Hey TTB guyz, I posted it at PA and they're having a laugh."
Then I was like "oh shit."
Then I went to PA, registered, and I had a laugh. But then I said enough is enough. All insane ramblings and exuberance to believe in any bad piece
When you go to pspadvanced.com site it says "pspadvanced.com coming September 31st", so it's not even a live site yet (that, and the fact that there is no such date as September 31st, there's a 30th and a October 1st...). And when you click that link it brings you back to the gcadvanced.com forums which are currently closed because they're bieng moved...
Judging by the name of the domains, there's probably a good chance they're both the same company, but why the hell would they quote a site of there's that's not even open yet as their source?
Oh, and this price was apparently "un-officailly" set by Sony...
This is a real cherry of an article.
Left 4 Dead Gaming Group - http://www.l4dgg.com
you're on crack.
PSP plays UMD Discs. that's it. no music CD's, no DVD's. it's a proprietary format. they are gonna have some movies for it, but I don't envision them taking off. limited choice of movies for a limited media. sorry.
perhaps you should do some research before posting.
oh. wait. slashdot. nevermind.
I've posted on this same topic before (sorry for the dupe), but I wish Sony had gone with a PS1-based system for its first portable PlayStation. I know the technology is a bit dated, but they could have cranked out a PS1-based PSP for tons less than $150 (and they could have done it sooner) and come out with a PS2-based PSP a year later.
There's already a huge library of PS1 games. I loved playing them. Developers know how to write for them. Wouldn't it have been a great idea to create a portable game system that played PS1 games? You could have changed a few minor things to help battery life, and to keep it simple: the controller doesn't support vibration, there is no P2, the memory card is (possibly) internal, and the 640MB CD is replaced by smaller-radius media (Sony is moving to UMD for the PSP.) Use a screen only slightly larger than the GBA's, and now the low-res graphics of the PS1 look pretty good.
All that technology is readily-available (except for the UMD) so I'm sure the price per unit would have been way less than $150.
I'm sure Sony could have made lots of sales on this one. Developers basically get to re-release (almost immediately!) a lot of cool PlayStation games for the portable PS1. I would have gladly shelled out $30 for a PSP re-release of many of the PS1 games I already own (Tomb Raider 1 & 2, Spyro the Dragon, Mort the Chicken, Crash Bandicoot Racing, ...)
But of course, I'm no systems designer (and it probably shows.) Though, it seems a design like this might have made serious inroads against the GBA or DS. Even if the PS1 technology is dated.
Sorry, the PSP only plays UMD which are 60mm across. If it's going to play movies the user will have to buy a PSP-only copy that will not work in DVD drives. MP3 support will be through memory sticks which are currently more expensive than smart media. So anyone wanting two hours of music on a 128MB stick will have to pay another $40.
Ah yes, well it *would* be something if it played DVDs and CDs, but it doesn't - it plays UMDs. Which means if I want to use it for those things, I have to purchase (AGAIN! Gah, I hate format changes) all the music and videos on UMD. And pay more for protable unit that can only play one movie at a go anyway. And it costs more than a mini-PS2, which DOES play CDs, DVDs, PS1 and PS2 games. Oh, and it costs half as much.
No, they screwed up on this one. $350 is a lot of money. Hell, desktops retail for about $500 at the low end...
Does this make the PSP the most expensive portable game unit ever? I don't recall the prices on Lynx, Neo Geo Pocket (or whatever it was called), Game Gear, etc.