PSP Delayed Into 2005?

I haven't been keeping up, but... by Maul · 2004-10-05 07:45 · Score: 2, Interesting

What were the launch titles for this handheld supposed to be anyway?

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"You spoony bard!" -Tellah

Re:I haven't been keeping up, but... by zonker · 2004-10-05 07:53 · Score: 5, Funny

super pixelated fighter 3, long drawn out rpg XI, beatem-up-shootemup 4, basketball slammer 2005, scary things jump out at you 3: the deadening, fast swurvy car drivin' 5...

same old crap that's released on the ps2 but now its portable and will likely cost twice as much to get 'in the game'! woot! ;p

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Large print giveth, and the small print taketh away
Re:I haven't been keeping up, but... by javaxman · 2004-10-05 08:26 · Score: 2, Interesting

I was about to reply based on my own limited knowledge ( from reading a few magazine articles here and there ), about how Gran Turismo 4 and a bunch of other games had demoed at E3, then I realized, you know what? You should know how to use Google by now. Jeesh.
But, since you're lazy and I'm bored of work... well, let's just say there are a very, very large number, many of which have already been seen in some sort of playable demo form, so it's less likely the release list the fact that Sony just hit all of their developers with this ( relatively ) last-minute "oh, by the way, this thing can do a lot of fancy graphics, but don't actually use those features or push the system, you have to keep your battery usage low" requirement, to which many likely said "uh, we have a problem...".
Here's just one list of PSP release games from SPOnG... use my generously provided Google link for others. The list generally includes all of the big-selling PlayStation2 games, plus a few new ( mostly handheld-oriented ) games.

There is a God by delta_avi_delta · 2004-10-05 07:45 · Score: 3, Funny

... as far as Nintendo is concerned

Re:There is a God by FuzzzyLogik · 2004-10-05 07:48 · Score: 2, Interesting

yea.. right.. nintendo would destroy this thing... more features, better games, and longer battery life. PSP is dead before it even came out.. it would be neat to try but i wouldn't buy one.. especially for the rumored $350.. i'd buy a ps3 instead

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Kyle
http://www.unlogikal.net/

They can't wait... by FortKnox · 2004-10-05 07:46 · Score: 4, Insightful

If the next gen gameboy is released first, they are doomed. Whether its technically a better system or not won't really matter. Look at the Sega handhelds. They've always been a much better product than the gameboy, but they still couldn't crack it.

Not to sound like some terrible MBA, but unless there are SERIOUS defects to the PSP, I'd try to get the jump on Nintendo, especially in the handheld market.

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Good quote, too many chars. Seriously, the slashdot 120 char limit sucks!

Re:They can't wait... by minus_273 · 2004-10-05 07:51 · Score: 3, Interesting

i dont think any sega handhelds were better than gameboy. I fell for the color screen.. game gear sucked batteries so quickly, you could hardly play anything. In my book, good battery life is a requirement for technical superiority.

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The war on terror is a war for peace
Re:They can't wait... by HAKdragon · 2004-10-05 07:53 · Score: 2, Informative

Look at the Sega handhelds. They've always been a much better product than the gameboy, but they still couldn't crack it.

Sega has only released one handheld, the Gamegear.

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"Our opponent is an alien starship packed with atomic bombs. We have a protractor."
Re:They can't wait... by wastingtape · 2004-10-05 07:55 · Score: 5, Insightful

I think the reason the Gamboy over took Sega as far as the handheld gaming market went was because it came bundled with Tetris. When was the last time you saw a game so accepted by such a wide range of people? Sonic while fun and exicitng, only appealed to a fraction of the age group that Tetris did. I remember being in Elementary school and having to ask for my Gameboy back from my mom (who incidentally liked the "puzzle game" on it).

I've always held that the key to any game system is the games that run on it; simple, fun, and open ended games. I think Tetris is a really good example of a hit title booming a certain market.
Re:They can't wait... by d3kk · 2004-10-05 07:58 · Score: 2, Informative

Wrong. They released the Nomad in 1995, which was essentially a portable Genesis.
Re:They can't wait... by Ohm2k · 2004-10-05 08:00 · Score: 2, Insightful

How can they rush it out? The DS is looking at a Mid/late November release here in the states. Any PSP release would be rushed and lacking software for months. The psp also has a much higher price working agenst it. the DS @150 clams isn't something you plan to buy. You can walk in off the street, see it on the shelf and buy it w/o much thought. Now 250? 299? You do a little more research and ho humming and buy less software for it when you get the box from behind the counter.

First out of the gate isn't always the way to win. But First out with a low price point and good launch titles is. The big N has a stranglehold on the handheld market. And after sony attempts to crack the nut and fails I think it will be the end of the handheld war.

Then again I'm a nintendo fanboy and could very well be full of S.

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People find it strange that I don't know how to juggle or tap dance.
Re:They can't wait... by Achoi77 · 2004-10-05 08:00 · Score: 4, Insightful

If Sony isn't worrying about it, then they definately have long term goals in mind. Besides, with that price point almost no parent is going to shell that kind of money for their 10 year old, and even the DS is somewhat getting close to the edge at $150. Everybody knows that the magic number is less than 3 digits. Perhaps sony is waiting untill manufacturing costs are low enough (in addition to all the other red tape issues, that is)?
I think the current targets sony is looking at is mostly the ipod demographic. Nice highend gear that people will not mind having. When the new revision comes out, last years model starts to trickle down to the lower end, affordable types. The trick is, if Sony is able to maintain momentum, then Nintendo is doomed forever.
Nintendo of course, will have to go with the blitz and take as much of Sony's thunder away from them before it strikes. Plus, Nintendo can also play the new revision model game as well and come out with an even cheaper DS, which will definately dominate. I'm curious how this will play out. I'm a huge nintendo fanboy (on a waitlist for the DS at a local store), but Sony's got as much of a chance as Nintendo, especially with the bankroll to back it up. We'll just have to see as it rolls out.
Re:They can't wait... by Fred+Or+Alive · 2004-10-05 08:05 · Score: 2, Informative

In the US they also released the Genesis (Mega Drive) Nomad, basically a portable Mega Drive. It also sucked batteries like there's no tomorrow. It apparently has a nice screen. Another high quality product from the Sega of America useless variations on the Mega Drive (sorry, Hardware Development) division.[1]

[1] Well, apart from the not-Dreamcast, which led to Sega being sued by 3DFX, and EA (a 3DFX shareholder) not making games for Dreamcast.

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10 PRINT "LOOK AROUND YOU "; 20 GOTO 10
Re:They can't wait... by stratjakt · 2004-10-05 08:05 · Score: 5, Insightful

The gameboy hasn't gone up against a better all around handheld. Each of it's competitors failed in an area it had covered.

Sega Gamegear: Battery life you could measure in minutes. Couldn't even get me through a lunchhour when I was in high school.

Turbo Xpress: Battery life, and cost. The thing was damn expensive. By the time it came out, TurboGrafx was dead/dying which limited its future.

Sega Nomad: Batteries, and size. Ever held one? That sucker is huge. It's worth it to a hardcore genesis fan, of course.

Atari Lynx: Poor game selection, battery life.

NeoGeo Pocket: Poor game selection, released by a dying company. Never really had a chance with GBA announced.

Wonderswan/GP32/game.com/etc: Too obscure to really mention (in north american markets, at least).

My predictions for PSP?: Battery life, load times, and fragility of the game discs will kill it. GBA carts can take a pretty good beating, and don't mind being stuffed in your back pocket all day. For that matter, neither does the SP.

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I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
Re:They can't wait... by poot_rootbeer · 2004-10-05 08:07 · Score: 4, Insightful

Look at the Sega handhelds. They've always been a much better product than the gameboy, but they still couldn't crack it.

Speaking of crack, are you on it? The Game Gear was twice the form factor of the original GameBoy, used 50% more batteries and had less than half the playtime. Not to mention, Nintendo still had the Konamis and Capcoms of the world locked to exclusive contracts, while Sega had low-rent European software houses churning out mediocre ports of Genesis titles.

I owned both, and although the GameBoy had fewer colors, a lower-resolution screen, and a weaker CPU, it was still by far the more fun of the two. I think this is because the designers didn't try to make a device that was just a battery-powered version of an existing home console, but rather made a device that was specifically suited for portable gaming, even though it had fewer bells and whistles.

That's why the GameBoy family is on its nth hardware generation right now, while the Lynx, the Game Gear, the Nomad, the TurboXpress, the NeoGeo Pocket, and all the others never made it past two.
Re:They can't wait... by mrchaotica · 2004-10-05 08:21 · Score: 2, Interesting

There will never be an end to the handheld war. Sooner or later, someone else will try (I'm betting on Microsoft).

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"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
Re:They can't wait... by Toby_Tyke · 2004-10-05 09:36 · Score: 2, Informative

"Atari Lynx: Poor game selection, battery life."

Plus the fact that it was the size and weight of a pair of house bricks. It was more of a laptop than a hand held. Ate through batteries like they were going out of fashion and I would just like to point out, for the record, California games was shit.

Damn. Been waiting over a decade to get that off my chest. Yes. I bought one.

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"I realise this is not a very popular opinion but it's the truth, and there for needs to be said" -Bill Hicks
Re:They can't wait... by vhold · 2004-10-05 10:20 · Score: 2, Interesting

I totally think Sony is playing the PSP for the long term. A lot of people are making a lot of comparisons to all the other failed platforms but what I don't think any of them are realizing is that we are talking about Sony.

Is it not the most unbelievable thing in the world that the Minidisc is still on shelves? How much of a failure was that? Didn't the original players/recorders cost like $500? Is anybody even buying it now? Who knows, but for some reason you can still buy them and they are now down around $100 and have up to 56 hours battery life off a single AA. It's probably still a relative failure, but the fact remains that Sony has managed to keep those things on shelves for what seems like 8 or so years now.

Sony can do the same thing with the PSP if they have to. They will not let it die and disappear like so many Sega, Wonderswan or whatever the chuck handhelds. That thing will stay on shelves as the the Minidisc of handhelds forever if it has to, and that price will creep down and down and down until rather suddenly it's competitive. I'm going to guess it'll do better then the Minidisc because it won't suddenly find itself antiquated by something as simple as interchangable portable MP3 players.

Even more importantly, another aspect of it being Sony is that it has the potential to tap the adult market in the same way the Playstation 1 did. People were too embarrassed to buy nintendo/sega systems as they were basically completely associated with kids, but the Playstation rapidly became associated with more 'mature' content and games and unleashed a whole new wave of consumers. Sony is pushing this aspect even harder by making it an 'entertainment platform' capable of movies/music as opposed to just simply a souped-up gameboy. Quite a few people justified their Playstation 2 purchase because it could also play DVDs in a pinch.
Re:They can't wait... by Ayaress · 2004-10-05 10:38 · Score: 3, Interesting

I wouldn't worry so much about the game disks as the moving parts in the drive. I've had a cople laptops die hard on me, and its always the moving parts that get it. A laptop usually gets handled well, too - its own padded case, and owners typically treat them with kid gloves. A portable game device, on the other hand, typically gets treated like dirt. They get dropped, tossed around, shoved into pockets and bookbags along with god knows what else, left in the car on hot summer/cold winter days, and so on. My GBA has survived all that, plus pulling double duty as a bookmark and getting closed in a door. I can easily see a PSP joining so many laptops in the Great LAN in the Sky for nothing else but that drive.

Hmm.... by Benw5483 · 2004-10-05 07:47 · Score: 5, Interesting

Could the real reason be that they don't want to directly compete with Nintendo's cheaply priced handheld or even that they don't want to draw sales away from their new PS2 model?

Seems like Sony didn't think too far ahead when they planned on releasing this in Q4 2004.

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what?

Re:Hmm.... by Chris_Jefferson · 2004-10-05 08:40 · Score: 4, Interesting

Or could this be exactly the same as the PS1 vs. saturn and PS2 vs. dreamcast, where people won't buy the currently out console because Sony swears that any days now they'll have "The greatest thing that ever happened in your life, ever" (anyone remember the 'emotion engine'?) coming out "any day now", which just continues slipping further and further back?

I'm not a Sony hater, but I would have expected people to have spotted the pattern by now..

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Combination - fun iPhone puzzling

DS by Mike+Rubits · 2004-10-05 07:47 · Score: 2, Interesting

Could this be one of the first nails in the coffin for the PSP, with the DS beating it to market by several months? In the console market, the PS2 was able to gain a huge advantage by being first out. This could be crippling for the PSP if Nintendo plays their cards right.

2005 should be an interesting year for handhelds.

Re:DS by alphaseven · 2004-10-05 08:05 · Score: 2, Informative

In the console market, the PS2 was able to gain a huge advantage by being first out.
On the other hand, the Dreamcast came out before the PS2 and was doing okay at first till the PS2 came out. And the SNES was successful despite the Genesis having a big head start. In consoles being first isn't a guarantee of success. Still, I think the DS is looking good.

Not supprised by lightdarkness · 2004-10-05 07:48 · Score: 5, Insightful

Not supprising at all that it was delayed. Companies set really early release dates to stir up hype, then push them back a little, because they arn't done; People don't mind either because they are used to delays.

Re:Not supprised by Joe5678 · 2004-10-05 09:08 · Score: 4, Informative

Just to clarify, it was NOT delayed. Somebody is speculating that it will be delayed, which is probably true, but not yet fact.

Well by bigtangringo · 2004-10-05 07:48 · Score: 3, Funny

Can't say much about game title weakness, Sony tends to be pretty strong there. Maybe they should dump some cash into the research of those nuclear batteries?

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Yes, I am a smart ass; it's better than the alternative.

Good! by RyuuzakiTetsuya · 2004-10-05 07:48 · Score: 3, Funny

Lets me recover from the financial hit that is the Dual Screen...

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Non impediti ratione cogitationus.

You can't win with the /. crowd sometimes by SansTinfoilHat · 2004-10-05 07:56 · Score: 5, Interesting

If they were to rush out a product simply to come to market at the same time as the DS, you all would accuse them of underhanded tactics to flood the market with an unfinished product.

And if you RTFA you will see: "the securities firm expects the handheld 'to launch later than the current March 2005 expectation". It was already going to be a 2005 launch, now it will just be a Christmas season launch. I'd rather have a good system a year from now than a poorly designed system right now. Of course, Nintendo chose the other route with the GBA, releasing a barely playable system as soon as they could and then a vastly superior GBA SP a year(ish) later.

Better product = We all win.

Re:You can't win with the /. crowd sometimes by stratjakt · 2004-10-05 08:12 · Score: 2, Insightful

There was nothing wrong with the original GBA, I'd hardly call it "barely playable". And it wasn't rushed to market, there was no need. They delayed it forever, offering up the GB Color as a stop-gap. I remember reading about the next-gen gameboy before the N64 came out.

The SP wasn't a year later, either, it was more like 2, even 3.

The SP is much better, no doubt. It also cost (and still does) twice as much. But the backlit display just wasn't practical with the original, and that was it's only shortcoming.

Though, it's only a shortcoming in retrospect. Gameboy or Gameboy Color never had or needed a backlit display.

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I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
Re:You can't win with the /. crowd sometimes by Cowclops · 2004-10-05 08:30 · Score: 2, Interesting

I never saw so much whining about the screen when GBC came out.

GBC HAS THE EXACT SAME SCREEN! (Just fewer pixels).

So yeah, its definitely strange that so many people are complaining about it because it didn't really take THAT much light to get a good image. The reflective TFT in that sure beats the crap out of the transmissive TFT in earlier systems like Game Gear.

You may very well be right about the point on people assuming CotM was represenative of the system's contrast on the whole. I found it to be quite enjoyable, but if thats the only game you have you might be inclined to say "jeeze this sucks" and give it to your little brother/cousin/dog.

I've got Mega Man Zero and that game I think has pretty damn good graphics. I don't play GBA much and I don't have a lot of games, but MMZ was very entertaining (and fuckin HARD).

Re:ladies and gentlemen.. by chrismcdirty · 2004-10-05 08:00 · Score: 5, Interesting

Have you read the specs for the DS? It has wifi + chat built in to the system. And the way you're talking, the system for true geeks should be the Zodiac.

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It's like sex, except I'm having it!

Re:ladies and gentlemen.. by poot_rootbeer · 2004-10-05 08:12 · Score: 3, Insightful

Mario DS
Zelda DS
MarioKart DS
Super Metroid DS
Donkey Kong DS

Sign me up! Those are perhaps the five most consistently enjoyable franchises in home videogaming history and I'll gladly pay to see what new twists Nintendo manages to add to the games this time around.

Meanwhile, I'm pretty sure Gran Turismo 4 will just be a marginal improvement on Gran Turismo 3. Increasing polygon counts is not innovation.

Reversal of fortunes by celerityfm · 2004-10-05 08:14 · Score: 3, Interesting

So what your saying here is that instead of the usual Sony releases first, followed by a more powerful Nintendo product (Playstation, N64 and PS2/Gamecube)-- we now have Nintendo releasing hardware first followed by SONY'S more powerful product (DS/PSP).

So, will Nintendo's head start here give them the same benefits that Sony had from their head start? Or are the PSP and DS so different from each other that they aren't competing for the same gaming dollars? Or both?

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...unfortunately no one can be told what The Mat^H^H^HGoatse is...they must experience it for themselves...

Re:Reversal of fortunes by stratjakt · 2004-10-05 08:22 · Score: 2, Insightful

How's the GameCube less powerful?

Where's PS2's HDTV video modes?

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I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!

Re:ladies and gentlemen.. by magicsquid · 2004-10-05 08:15 · Score: 4, Insightful

The whole point of developing franchises is to exploit them. Nintendo definitely does it, but Sony does it too... Gran Turismo 4, Jak 3, Sly Cooper 2, Socom 2, etc.

Don't penalize Nintendo for having tons of great franchises to choose from while at the same time applauding Sony for supplying new versions of existing franchises.

If you want new games say that. If you just don't like Nintendo games, say that too.

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"Chances of RHIC-induced Armageddon are exceedingly rare, but... you never know." - MIT Physicist Bob Jaffe

*GASP* by LoudMusic · 2004-10-05 08:20 · Score: 4, Funny

An electronics device that is also part of the video game industry ... DELAYED!?! How can this be!

Seriously.

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Re:ladies and gentlemen.. by devmage · 2004-10-05 08:31 · Score: 2, Informative

No the Xbox only became successful because M$ threw hundreds of millions of dollars at it till it had some sort of success. This included taking huge losses on hardware, buying up game companies and pouring the money into advertising. Devmage

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devmage

Re:ladies and gentlemen.. by Dirk+Pitt · 2004-10-05 08:33 · Score: 2

What does that even mean? Titles for GameCube cost as much as their equivalent PS2 titles, and the hardware runs at, what, a $50 difference in price?

I own a PS2 and a gamecube, and it amazes me how many people don't give Nintendo a fair shot because of the kiddie-style animation so common to GC titles. IMHO, the gameplay of a typical original GameCube/N64 game is *far* ahead of most of the titles originating on PS2/SPS.

As a matter of fact, I would go so far as to say that *Sony* gets the low end of the market, serving the least common denominator(sports game, anyone?), while Nintendo's games, while superficially more infantile, serve the high-end gamer much more consistently. Did anyone really ever consider Mario 64 or Metroid Prime a 'low-end' game?

(I guess my definition of 'high-end gamer' differes from a lot of people's. High-end games should feature the most carefully planned gameplay, not necessarily the most carefully rendered blood spatters.)

Nothing to see... by adam31 · 2004-10-05 08:54 · Score: 5, Insightful

Does anyone realize there is absolutely nothing new here of any substance? Some nitwit at TGS reporting that demo builds (read: months old) aren't done, and that some other launch titles aren't showing?!

FUD about battery life "problems". Sony has said from day 1 that developers shouldn't stream content. This should be obvious to everybody!

The real issue here is that Sony just isn't saying anything. See, the media gets nervous when there is no news... since that's their job. So they have to make up the news. Except that Sony has done an excellent job about keeping their secrets, so this is what we get. Rumors and hunches.

Trust me, you'll know more when Sony marketing deems it exactly the right moment.

Re:Nothing to see... by Naffer · 2004-10-05 09:24 · Score: 4, Insightful

What fun is a large disk storage medium if you can't stream content. The PSP is supposed to have 32 megabytes of RAM. So lets say that you're writing a game and you're not streaming content from the disk. Ok, we need more data, lets go ahead and spin up the disk, read out 32 megabytes, and then spin it back down.

The largest advantage a cartridge has is low power consumption and access times. If you're spinning down a disk, you're going to have to spin it back up to get more data. Maybe you're supposed to make entire levels fit in RAM? Perfect, except now you're limitting yourself to a few dozen megabytes per level, completely negating the whole point of a big storage medium. I've got it, we can include 15 minutes of FMV! Oops! We have to stream that too.
Re:Nothing to see... by adam31 · 2004-10-05 10:20 · Score: 2, Insightful

Maybe you're supposed to make entire levels fit in RAM? Perfect, except now you're limitting yourself to a few dozen megabytes per level
Quite true. You'd be amazed at how far a dozen megabytes can go. And not necessarily the whole level, but just next few chunks that the player can go.
The real issue is that this isn't something being sprung on developers at the last moment, it's something they all read in the specs and have planned for from the beginning.
It's not really even more complex. You just can't have the unlimited availability of movement like in GTA. And it'll obviously be no problem for something like GT4.

Re:ladies and gentlemen.. by accelleron · 2004-10-05 08:57 · Score: 2, Funny

Nay. High-end games should feature the most carefully planned gameplay AND the most carefully rendered blood splatters.

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Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped.

Re:ladies and gentlemen.. by Anonymous Coward · 2004-10-05 09:04 · Score: 2, Insightful

Not to mention a crucial difference: Nintendo actually improves their flagship franchises between iterations. Sony just pushes out expansions and graphical updates. IMHO, the reason I prefer Sony products isn't the flagships, its the obscurities. PS1/2 easily has the longest list of sleeper-hits of any console. Armored Core anyone?

Still, I'm hoping for one thing above all else with the DS: Handheld RTS games. So far, the only handheld RTS I've ever seen is Warfare Inc for the Palm/PocketPC, and its just a DuneII clone. I want more - and the DS has the stylus to do it with.

Maturity by SuperKendall · 2004-10-05 09:33 · Score: 2, Insightful

If you're older than 21 and can't see the value in any well done game, mario or not - then perhaps you have not grown up as much as you thought.

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"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley

Re:ladies and gentlemen.. by wheany · 2004-10-05 09:46 · Score: 2, Interesting

Has there been one single official announcement by Sony regarding any of the problems people are attributing to the PSP?

There have been multiple stories on Slashdot in the past couple of weeks and I'm pretty sure all of them have been based on rumors and hearsay.

And people, you don't have to love one machine and hate the other.

Long live Nintendo! by Pingsmoth · 2004-10-05 10:13 · Score: 2, Insightful

They fumbled the GameCube launch pretty bad, and haven't exactly done much to fix the situation, but so far they have shown every sign of continuing their handheld dominance. DS has Picto Chat, touch-screen technology, dual-screens, and other true gaming innovations. PSP has...PS2 games that you can play in the car. The DS is also going to be released just in time for the holidays, and if the PSP really is delayed, it's going to be a long road for Sony to travel to even catch up to Nintendo.

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http://www.walkingtaco.com

Re:Range by buffer-overflowed · 2004-10-05 10:48 · Score: 2, Informative

The DS has 802.11(?) WiFi and some kind of propriatary wireless connection which works up to 30 meters.

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The key to the enjoyment of pop music is to replace any instance of "love" with "C.H.U.D."

I think it is very important to note by SetupWeasel · 2004-10-05 11:41 · Score: 2, Interesting

That judging from the readiness of each system at E3, Nintendo did not create the DS in answer to the PSP. If anything Sony caught wind that Nintendo was developing the DS and decided to compete.

Re:Range by Trejkaz · 2004-10-05 12:16 · Score: 2, Funny

It actually is WiFi, as in 802.11b, just powered down. Also, they did say that the networking was proprietary, so who knows if it will be IP running over that 802.11b connection... it might not be.

In a way, I would have preferred Bluetooth. You can still get 25 metre range off it, if it's needed. It would be able to chat with phones. And most importantly, I would be able to bluejack little kids with disturbing pictures. :-/

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Karma: It's all a bunch of tree-huggin' hippy crap!

Re:Saturn and Dreamcast by Fancia · 2004-10-05 13:03 · Score: 2, Insightful

You'll note that that article also mentions that it did well in Japan; it understates it a bit. The system was pretty well neck and neck with the PlayStation in Japan until Sega killed it prematurely for the Dreamcast. It failed in North America and Europe partly because Sega of America/Europe have always been incompetent marketers, and partly because of a lack of quality games making it to those markets. A large number of the system's best games stayed in Japan.

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Bít, zabít, jen proto, ze su liska!

Marketing by sbszine · 2004-10-05 13:23 · Score: 4, Insightful

I think, as you say, that marketing and games were a big part of it. People were just sick of Sega releasing systems with only six games, then retiring them and cranking out another. By the time they came out with the Dreamcast (which IMHO was superior to the first few generations of PS2), gamers were too scared to plonk down money for a system that might not be supported.

The Saturn did have some good games (Grandia and Radiant Silvergun spring to mind), but instead of pushing those, retailers had a small shelf with a few copies of Croc. When the PS1 came out with slick launch games and better graphics, the Saturn died horribly (and scuttled the Dreamcast en pasant, maybe).

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Vino, gyno, and techno -Bruce Sterling

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