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PSP Developer Interview
zmcnulty writes "Over at TechJapan, we've finished our three part translation of Game Watch's interview of Mr. Izumi Kawanishi, one of the PSP's lead designers. New details revealed include a few about the USB interfacing (with both PS2 and PC), a small hint about the elusive battery life, and best of all, that game saves can indeed be copied from Memory Stick to PC by using the PSP's USB interface. Here's part one, part two, part three, and the original Japanese interview."
"Q: Getting back to the UMD - there isn't a cover on the read section on the reverse side and one section is completely exposed. Will the production discs be the same? Will the discs be OK?
Kawanishi: The production discs are the same. DVD and other media are already handled in an uncovered state. It will be OK."
dunno. strangely enough the cd's and dvd's i just have lying around on bags or in pockets seem to get pretty banged up(just imagine sand getting in there.. then you smack it in to the device *screech*)..
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
Able to play a movie, and 'quite a bit longer'? Does that translates to something like 2hrs + 30 minuites of movie playing? hmmmmmmmm............. What do you think?
He skips around questions regarding the processing power of the unit, indicates that they had to stick with an analog controller as that's what PS2 users are used to (i.e. they can't just re-port all their same old games to the portable without it). He then mentions however that two analog control sticks (like the PS2) would look too complex for the user, yet then they throw USB connectivity into the mix (so someone is too stupid to know what to do with a second analog stick, yet can play around with USB?).
The fact of the matter is, this is just going to be a shrunk playstation 1.5 with a great screen, horrible battery life and a library of titles that already exist for that "other" playstation you already have sitting in front of your TV.
It's nothing but a cash grab, they're reselling you the same crap you already have (but now portable!) use your heads/wallets and get a DS. You won't regret it.
Seriously, do you want a system from someone who thinks you're too stupid to handle the controls?
"...it would be troubling if the face was littered with buttons and users did not know which one to press."
Yeah, that's trouble alright.....
Could the developer have been any more vague? Half of the questions were answered with "I think" or "it may" or "possibly".
Also, still nothing definitive on the battery life, so all evidence still points in the direction that it will suck, or Sony would have been more clear, seeing the bad press they are getting because of it.
PSP is sweet in theory, but unless it works as well, or close to as well a gameboy (in terms of sturdiness, playability and battery life), I don't seeing being a huge success.
I am importing my Nintendo DS in November, and I am alot more psyched about is, as Nintendo actually has demonstrated games on it and shown what it can do, and it looks fun! The graphics may not be jaw-dropping like on the PSP, but they are still "good enough" for handheld gaming, which is all that matters.
That's the whole point, they'll hype it up and then you'll buy one just to find out that they aren't THAT great.
Adults buy Game Boy's too, you insensitive clod! I know, I am one.
Also, i'm guessing the spinning of the disc might be rather noticable if you are holding it in a lose group. I can feel when my laptop spins the cd drive, will this be noticable (if so, will it be annoying) in the PSP?
SAILING MISHAP
"Is there really room for 2 portable systems? It has proven time and time again there is not."
I wouldn't say it's been 'proven'. In ANY of those examples, one could point out reasons other than 'can the market support it?' to explain their failures.
I think two portables could end up coexisting if a strategy were put into place. Right now (i.e. pre DS or PSP), portable gaming is pretty much "short simple fun little games". To put it another way, it's difficult to imagine many people playing a Game Boy for as much time as they'd play a PS2, GameCube, or XBOX. The DS seems like a perfect next gen platform for that style of market. Question is, though, would anybody buy a GBA or DS in lieu of having a home console like the PS2/3 etc? Probably not. However, I'd say the PSP has some potential to do just that. There are a lot of ifs here that'd have to work out for this to happen, but who knows?
To put it another way, so long as both systems fulfill gaming needs, they can coexist.
"Derp de derp."
Cell phones only get 20-30 hours when they are in standby mode doing nothing. Cell phone battery life tends to drop to just a couple of hours when actually in use, and playing/rendering 3D games uses far more power than talking on a cell phone.
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Unfortunately, with a PC-like pointing device, it seems like the DS interface is more suitable for more sophisticated games anyways. The Metroid FPS on the DS is getting rave reviews for finally being a good way to aim instead of stupid analog sticks. I fully expect to see a glut of strategy games (maybe even we'll finally get a handheld RTS?) on the DS. The PSP, on the other hand, looks to be just a big-screen version of the same old stuff. The PSP will have the usual Playstation 2 games (now wireless and handheld) while the DS will have some real potential to explore new directions.
Of course, I say that now, but styli tend to make my hand cramp so I might not be good with the DS.
Actually, Nintendo has stated 6-10 hours of battery life for the DS. I would guess that it will be 6 hours when doing wireless multiplayer, and up to 10-11 for singleplayer games. The GBA SP had slightly better battery life than Nintendo said it would have, and Nintendo doesn't have a history for exaggerating when it comes to hardware specs. I am thinking it's more likely that 6-10 is an understatement rather than an overstatement.
Do you have a UMD+-RW drive? Where can I get one?
Security through Obscurity at its finest... who cares what they do to the system if they cant copy to a readable media.
Although if someone figures out how to run from a memory card (no idea on the specs of the cards so no idea on size) I suppose it could be a different story.
Extended battery life? My GBA-SP lasts weeks between charges (Granted, I don't play it every day). Still, I find it hard to consider buying a gaming portable that relies on rotational media which inherently draws *much* more power than solid state media. 3D graphic capability is nice, but battery life is king when it comes to portables.
You don't go to a cottage* on weekends, do you? It's much easier to take a portable game there than lug around a full machine or a laptop. For one thing, you can play with it in any part of the cottage (i.e. fishing spot), so your wife doesn't yell at you as soon as you head in the direction of the "games" corner. So yeah, a PSP for us adult cottage-goers would be super.
*For those who don't know: a lot of Canadians have a cottage, i.e. a small house or cabin outside the city. They go there on a lot of weekends, just to get away, fart around, have a giant BBQ, and/or not shower for two days.
I assume you don't use a tiny wooden pencil to write with, right? The styli that come with PDA's and the like are basic no-frills versions. You can go and buy a nicer one for $10-15 or so, one that's thicker so your hand doesn't cramp.
Condemnant quod non intellegunt.
"I just don't see this as a smart move on Soney's behalf. The PS had appeal because it tore down Nintendo's more chilidish marketing and development. Adults liked it. I do not see the same effect in a portable."
You're not taking into account all the variables. First, their home market is Japan. If you don't think the Japanese will eat something like this up, you're kidding yourself. We're talking nifty-cool gadget capital of the world where gaming reigns supreme. And nubile Geisha girls. But mainly gaming. It sounds powerful and flexible enough to perform a variety of tasks, and it just so happens Sony has been the king of gaming worldwide for the last decade, which means absolutely no shortage of titles. This thing is a license to print money, plain and simple.
While the same can't nessisarily be said about markets abroad, I'm warning you right now that this thing as 'status symbol' written all over it. To borrow from an over-abused analogy, it is quite literally the iPod of gaming. The SP has made great strides in design, but the PSP is sexy as hell. It's all but guaranteed to have a massive library of games, more horsepower, strong wireless lan capabilities and the flexibility to do way more than just game. And it's Sony. The status symbol aspect of this product cannot be overstate. More than some adults picked up an iPod and I see the same happening here. Speaking of which, have you put a PSP (especially the white one) side by side with an iPod? And then there is the hip new generation marketing featuring these things hanging from everybodies wrists. Sony may have been late on the digital music bandwagon, but they've taken marketing notes strait from Apple's playbook on this one.
And honestly, the Gameboy and kids thing is based on a flawed premise. The only thing that makes the gameboy a popular kids item is less mario and more price, because it's the parent who ultimately shell out for these things. If the SP can't hit that magic price point, I guarantee you that the DS kids market will begin evaporating while parents will keep right on buying them cheaper GBA hardware. And in a world where a SP costs you nearly as much as a gamecube, it's will be a tough sell. Not saying impossible, but tough and a potentially reduced market share among the actual buyers, not their 8 year old gamers. Unlike Nintendo, Sony has some leeway here. Sony is known for cutting edge electronics and can, like the iPod, demand a higher price (within reason). Also, they aren't targeting the kids, they're targeting actual buyers who are looking not only for a portable gaming/video/whatever unit, but want to look cool doing so.
Sure there is room for two systems, expecially given the target audiences of each. It will all come down to whether they can make the intelligent decisions that will keep them alive in the face of competition. Unfortuantely, Nintendo has bled alot over the last decade, and their console share is wearing razor thin. So much so that the only thing keeping them afloat is the handheld. Sony has the advantage in market position, consumer base, 3rd parties and a substantial cash reserve. Nintendo can do it, they just have to play it smarter than they have been for the last decade.
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it's got a full single-player port of Dr. Mario in it
I've tried Dr. Wario, but its playfield size wasn't near regulation. Good thing I had written and posted my own version of Dr. M before Made In Wario had even come out... IN JAPAN.
That said, once somebody cracks the PSP, I can guarantee that the first thing people will work on is a GBA emulator. Something capable of running basic GBA demos on the PSP will show up even before you start seeing dumps of commercial games on the P2P sites.