Slashdot Mirror
PSP Pricing, Battery Life Announced
zmcnulty writes "The day has finally come: Over at TechJapan, we've got a translation of a Japanese BB Watch article stating that Sony has announced the Playstation Portable will cost 20,790 yen (about $195 USD) and is to be released on December 12th. Also, the battery life is quoted as being 4 to 6 hours. Not exactly what I'd call fantastic, but at this price, looks like Nintendo is in for some serious competition. Free your doubts about software too, as Sony has announced 21 titles will be released in December as well. Here's the official Japanese PDF press release regarding the PSP's release."
Just remember that 4-6 hours really means 2-3 hours.
I will wait until someone test this out to check real battery life.
I'm sure as the PSP advances they will be able to get more juice from it in terms of battery life. I think it has lots of potential.
That's 4 to 6 hours in standby mode, right?
I'll turn into a supernova and burn up everything. Well I'll turn into a black little hole and you'll turn into string.
Game Gear and Lynx both advertised '4-6 hour battery life'
They both failed. Why? They ate through batteries too fast.
The original Gameboy lasted 15-35 hours. If I took my Gameboy on a family trip, I'd get bored of it before the batteries ran out.
Looks just like when GameGear or AtariLynx tried to take on the GamBoy:
Higher Spec, getter graphics but bigger, more expensive and shorter battery life than the GameBoy.
Two hundred smackers for something you might accidentally leave on the bus. Nintendo has the right idea, I think. $80 for a brand new Game Boy SP, with older models selling at even cheaper prices.
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
I still take the 4-6 hours of battery life to be optimistic given their past articles wrote on this topic.
There are articles like this one circulating the web that says developers are responsible for good battery life on the PSP
http://www.gamesarefun.com/news.php?newsid=2305
What are developers going to do ? Randomly decrease the screen brightness or turn off the screen for a couple seconds at a time ? Half the processor speed ?
Maybe games like Metal Gear Acid and Gran Turismo run fine for 4-6 hours now and that is why they are releasing these figures. I guess we will have to wait and see.
For 195$, this is a cheap alternative to a portable DVD player. This feature alone might get me to buy one, not to mention it also plays games.
http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/categories/products/dep tpage.asp?wherefrom=search&searchword=psp
The preorder ship date on all of them is 12/20/2004.
Including game titles to be released in December:
Article
People who buy this won't be interested in it for the battery life. You'll be able to sit in your living room feeding on television and playing live over the internet wirelessly, with your PSP plugged into the wall. My main question is, "is there a TV Out?" I hate tiny screens, but I could deal with one as "practice" while I was mind-numbingly bored at my parent's over Thanksgiving. I'd definitely want to plug the little bastard into a TV though.
-- the only good thing the French ever did was two chicks at one time
Given the anounced price and the speculative pricing I guess Sony decided to take a hefty loss on the hardware. Either that or they found some really creative ways to cut costs.
devmage
Looks like it's not just iPod owners who will be mugged based on the colour of the PSP's headphones.
" this is a cheap alternative to a portable DVD player
It can't play DVD's.
And unlike portable media players, you can't convert videos to a different format and download; you'll have to either buy your movies again in a new format or hope that Sony's new movie format catches on so that you can rent them.
Not terribly appealing, particularly since cheap portable DVD players can be purchased for well under $200 these days.
You were mistaken. Which is odd, since memory shouldn't be a problem for you
That's not really enough. Last time I used my GBA I was on a 12 hour flight. While it's good that the battery is removable it I don't perticaully want to have to buy several (presumably expensive) custom batteries for it. If they had used AA form factor (some digital cameras can take AAs and a special Lion pck) then I could just get a load of cheap rechargables for it.
and the other one is.. Does it run Longhorn?
Awesome, I was really starting to wonder why they haven't announced it yet. Also, isn't it a really bad marketing decision on sony's part to come out with the PSP in December and not in November when most of the holiday shopping takes place? I know a lot of people who don't know a whole lot about a whole lot of things, the typical people who buy these consoles as geeks are the minority, who will get the Nintendo DS just because it's coming out before the Sony PSP.
Check out the PDF if it's still loading. I have absolutely no knowledge of Japanese, but I was able to make out a lot of the stats on the PDF (well, the ones in English, but thats a lot of them).
For example, 128 bit AES is listed as a feature. Does anyone know what thats going to be for?
This message is encrypted with Quad ROT-13 to protect the author's copyright under the DMCA.
I think most of the energy consumption will be taken by the screen rather than the drive. This because I'm a proud owner of a Sony MD and I know that Sony MD drives are extremely efficient. The top of the line MD models have ridiculous 100+ hours of battery life using 1 AA battery and one stick battery.
It appears that the UMD is very similar to an MD and if so, the battery life taken up by the drive would probably be similar.
at this price, looks like Nintendo is in for some serious competition.
The NDS has double battery life, is significantlly cheaper, and can run games from the gba. Where is the competition? I'm only seen a better N-Gage, but without the phone. It's been born dead.
DON'T PANIC
So, even the staunchest of Sony fanboys have to concede that when it comes to creativity and battery life, Nintendo's going to win this round. But I still don't think it's going to be a repeat of Game Gear vs. Gameboy.
For starters, look at the launch titles for the DS:
Super Mario 64 DS
Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt (demo)
Pictochat (built-in)
Feel the Magic: XY/XX
Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits
Ridge Racer DS
Madden NFL 2005
Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf
The Urbz: Sims in the City
Asphalt Urban GT
Rayman DS
Spider-Man 2
Ping Pals
It's nothing but a couple sports games, a couple platformers, two racers and a bunch of gimicky nonsense. If this is in any way indicative of the DS' overall lineup, Sony will still win this round.
I think this is going to be more like GCN vs. PS2. Why? Because Sony's game lineup appears stronger. Not only will it have many of the same third-party games (i.e. Spiderman 2, Madden, Tiger Woods), but it will have many more, such as Tony Hawk's Underground 2, Tales of Eternia, FIFA, and Need For Speed Underground.
What's more, the PSP is suppsoedly going to come packaged with Tiger Woods and Need for Speed Underground. What's the DS have? The gimmicky made-for-gradeschoolers Pictochat, and a demo of the first level of Metroid Prime: Hunters.
Look, I'm not proclaiming early victory for the PSP, but let's not relegate this to some failure of a system like the nGage before it even hits the market. This is Sony we're talking about. They have a more mature and diverse lineup of games with a much better stable of 3rd-party developers, and anyone who says the PSP's screen isn't just plain sexy is a liar.
Personally, I'm itnrigued by the DS, but much lke the GBA, I think the game lineup is horrid. But I hope they both do well. More choice is never a bad thing.
"My mobile phone costs A LOT more. My sunglasses costs more. My wrist watch costs more. My ring"
And how many of these have you bought for an 8-10 year old child?
Do you think the criteria for an adult purchase is different than that of a child's purchase? Do you think the primary audience for a portable game system is children or adults?
Looks like the English press releases are up (still PDFs, though):
Release date, price
Package details
December launch title list
Also, I apologize for the error I made in formatting the original post. I was sleepy and in a rush.
They should have innovated by putting fuel cell in these.
we'd have a first ever fuel cell powered palm top device and this would have added to the geek factor.
I guess it's called missing an occasion.
Trolling using another account since 2005.
A clip on battery. Just like the first addon for the Advance was a clip on light so you could see the awful screen. And the first one for the SP was a headphone jack to replace the one nintendo took out.
Game systems often have their weak points adressed by other companies. Except Microsoft, who decided just outright buying Bungie was better than waiting for someone to fix their no games anyone gives a damn about problem.
Introducing the new Occam Fusion! Now with sqrt(-1) fewer blades!
Too high of a prise. Maybe wait a year or two when they cut it to half price and more game selections.
Subzerorz
More Articles
You know that extra insurance that Best Buy keeps shoving down your throat? Buy it for PSP. Trust me.
Having the wifi would be interesting for travellers. Imagine going to the airport and joining in in established games with other travellers. If the game had an online version (in addition to multiplayer), you could continue the game with other people you met. Also, if the airlines start allowing wifi usage on the plane, then you could play against others in flight. Heck, the airline could sponser tournies and what not. This could be an interesting opportunity for developers to come up with some interesting games/apps geared specifically for those who have between 1/2 hour to 4 hours to "play".
Seriously! I want to be able to watch Xvids on there -- 1.8gb is enough for LOTR, encoded at 320x240x15fps, audio 11hz stereo.
Whether the battery can last that long is another story...
We can also speculate that when the PSP comes out in the states it will be even cheaper, as consoles tend to be more expensive on launch in Japan.
but at this price, looks like Nintendo is in for some serious competition
Game Boy Advance
cost: $100
battery life: 15-19 hours [*]
PSP:
cost: $195
battery life: 5-6 hours [*]
[*] as stated by manufacturer, real times are shorter
Obviously you're talking about competition for Nintendo's upcoming DS, but that GBA is a monster to reckon with...one with a excellent library of games.
the games..
That's all that really matters. Have you looked at the lineup for the two systems on ebgames?
Nintendo's games are, for the most part, hand-hend games. The GBA's best titles (Advance Wars, FFT:A), would not work as home console games. They were designed specifically to be 'pick up and play', and put down for an hour, then play again.
The PSP seems to have mostly ports of PS2 games. This won't work, but I suspect most people will ignore this fact, and be turned on by the sexy graphics of the PSP, and the PSP will do well, with shitty games, because most people are too stupid to base their opinion on anything that matters anyway.
I think sony is making the correct steps to get this product out. The battery life althoguh short will most likely improve, and the price of the unit really is not that bad.
My question is... will ther be a region lock. The interview with Kawanishi-san makes me believe there will be region locks on all the systems. That really dissapoints me. If that is the case then I wont be playing any american games for this bad boy...
It'll be the heavy duty 3D processing that sucks up the juice even more.
"With high-quality graphics processing capability equivalent to that of Playstation 2..."
Is anyone else tired of Sony's marketing department? When this was first announced, it was supposed to be PS1 quality. Then it was between PS1 and PS2. Next, it's closer to PS2 quality. Now it's equivalent. By the time it releases in Japan, it will be between PS2 and PS3. By the time we get it...it will be equivalent to PS7.
So we have Sony and Nintendo lining up to battle each other over portable gaming dominance. Any word on Microsoft? They willing to lose more money yet? The most unfortunate portion of that entire statement is that I own both an Xbox and a Gamecube. So I guess I should really be rooting for Microsoft to at least make some profit. Need more games for the Xbox and all that.
The coolness feature I like about the PSP is it's WiFi integration. Able to game online through your home router according to the article. The DS, I believe, only allows Wireless (and not WiFi compliant right?) to other DS for gaming. So that's one the PSP has got on it's side.
So it's being released to Japan on 12/12. Any rumors or straight up bullshit about when it's going to street here? I would have thought they would have been fighting to get it out here before our lucrative Xmas season
"Genius may shine aloof and alone, like a star, but goodness is social, and it takes two men and God to make a Brother."
The PSX was inferior to the N64. The PS2 is inferior to the GC and the Xbox.
But, they got the products out to market first. And, they treated the developers good, even if it isn't a easy platform to develop for. Plus, they didn't use any fancy, proprietary, and expensive media formats (such as the N64 cartridges or the GC's mini-CD's)
They don't have any of these advantages this time.
I have to agree with this.
Seriously, though. If it had a 2 hour life, I'd still consider it. This thing looks gorgeous, and I am not really away from an outlet for more than 2 hours at a time (let alone able to play for more than 2 hours, sheesh.)
I make a sacrifice with my Area51m every day, and it's one I made a conscious decision about when I bought the thing. Buy what fits you best - If you want to play 6 hours a day, and recharge the thing on weekends, get a GBA. If you can take the responsability of nightly charging, and dont play all day long, you can get a PSP.
The best solution now, however (with the price drop)----
GET THEM BOTH - WOOT!
Physics is nothing like religion. If it was, we'd have an easier time trying to raise money!
I've kinda dropped the ball on the spec, does it play any kind of music format natively?
If so I'd like to get one to replace my aging minidisc player.
Together, We Can Make Slashdot Better. I Do NOT Mod ACs. - Check Me Out
All of Nintendos battery life times have been longer than advertised. Which is generally the opposite from everyone else.
And many plans are in the works for internet gaming and applications. Keep an eye out for DemaSked.
I need to know a couple of things about you for my next ... er ... "Job". Where do you live? What kind of a Car do you drive? Do you have a home security sytem? Do you have any Guard dogs that I should be aware of? Does your car have an alarm? Does your car have Guard dogs and/or any trunk monkies? Whats the easiest way to break in your house? Do you or any of your other family memebers carry any conceled weapons? What night of the week is the house usually empty? Where do you keep your valuables? Do you have a Safe? What is the combination to your Safe? Do you have any Life Insurance? Could You make me the Sole benificiary of said Insurance Policy? Do You have fire Insurance? Have you ever considered the benifits of Insurance Fraud?
... Uh... "advise" you sooner.
Get Back to me as soon as possible! That way I will be able to
Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
Here in Finland, almost everyone over eight has a mobile phone, and other european countries are catching up. They also have wrist watches and sunglasses, although the latter ones aren't probaly what you'd call designer goods. So what message were you trying to convey in your post?
FROm what i understand the ds has full wifi capabilities and its the psp that does not. You sony fanboys stop making up stuff. The ds can conenct via any hot spot. There is also the proprietary wireless stuff for it to.
Some of the claims of this are ridiculous.
...ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the NEW minidisc player.
1. Four to six hour battery life.
I would guess that it would be less than that. Playstation 2 processor and a beautiful screen? It will eat those batteries alive. Those screens don't just bust out all of those colors so efficiently.
2. Plays movies in letterbox format.
Correction. Plays movies in a proprietary format in letterbox. If you can rip to and burn these disks, great. If you can't, then you are just buying another movie on the same old format. Remember, the market has never loved the better format, the market has only loved the cheaper and more universal format. *Cough* Betamax *cough*
Sony, of all people, you should know this!
3. Plays awesome video games.
Making Metal Gear into a card battle game? That is the one they keep showing? Aw, Cmon! Card battle? Has any American bought a card battle video game besides the PA guys? I admit I haven't researched them all, but if you just show Solid Snake and you can't control him directly (an amazing NES feature), you just lost me. Why did they do that? Is there a limitation that allows you to not control him directly? Is the Wifi/processor too slow to go head to head? Does the disc not hold enough image space for a full experience? Is there a RAM issue? Look, it just doesn't make any sense why it is card battle. I think that it is a card battle game because there is a limitation somewhere. They shortchanged something in the machine, and they said "we can't do Solid Snake like we should, make it card battle so it doesn't have to cache so much!" If it was Konami's idea to try something different? Then they need to stop sniffing glue, and remember that interactivity is not what card battle is about.
4. It will revolutionize the way that people carrry around data and information.
Uh, not without a hard drive. Hard drives are where it's at these days. Not much more to say.
Look, it's a toy. It is not a personal video player. If you purchase movies in that format with no video out, then you are just totally messed in the head. I'll be sitting next to you on the plane with a only slightly larger flip-top DVD player with a slightly crappier screen, AND A BAG FULL OF DVDs. When I get to my hotel room, I'll plug it in the back of the TV, and watch them all night. Why? Because I bought something that is agreeable with the rest of the world, and I bought it cheaper at Sam's Club or Costco. If I lose it, or somene rips it off, I'm not crying.
(Walking on the plane with the new PSP)
"Hey, I have two movies that I payed $30 for! Let's see, we have FF:Spirits within or Akira! I sure won't get tired of these titles! Nah, let's card battle with Solid Snake, YEAH!"
Conclusion? It is a game machine. If you buy it for any other reason than the games, you're fooling yourself. You certainly don't want to get into yet another proprietary format that you cannot mess with without outrageous expense, when everyone is just getting to the phase where they now start burning their own home movies on DVD.
At least Nintendo knows what they make are toys. Nintendo is out to maximize the toy experience, not add crap on top and charge you for it. I do believe I will be buying the PSP2 if I buy one, when all of the features make sense. Sony needs to get a grip on the idea that they go and bust out a new format every two years, and then surprise, no one buys it. Can you get a PSP disc recorder? Can you even buy blank media?
Not that it would matter...
Great, now the press can start comparing apples vs. apples.
Meet the new competitor... same as the old competitors? Maybe not.
ISTR my Atari Lynx having a 4-6 hour battery life... my Game Gear, too. I think the TurboExpress' batteries were rated to last 6 hours, too (they could only make it for about 3).
All three machines generally had better games and specs which crushed the Gameboy's.
But, all of the Gameboy's past competitors have also debuted at prices 2x or more the cost of a Gameboy system. Sony isn't making that mistake - and it could be the most important one. IMO Gameboy didn't get its market share based on better software or hardware... but it sure was cheap. Pricing may be the keystone of this war, and from there consumers will weigh battery life vs. eye candy in isolation - Gameboy won't have a price gulf to rely on this time.
Ports&Switches:
Headphone/Microphone Jacks
Wireless Lan On/Off switch
I like the mic jack, but I wonder if it'll have some sort of voice recording module. Seems more like a PDA feature. The WLAN On/Off switch definitely is a nice feature. I hate turning off WLAN in software with my PDA and laptop. It keeps turning itself on, and I don't realize it until I have to go turn it off in software again.
Accessories ($20):
Black Softcase & White handstrap
Would have been nice to have this come with the PSP. $20 bucks seems a little steep. I wonder if any protection comes with the PSP by default? Didn't see anything in the sheet.
AnimeNEXT anime convention
The GBA-SP battery is the best design feature apart from the brighter screen.
;P).
The RECHARGEABLE battery is cheap about 5 or 6 UK pounds. Not like laptop batteries (UGH!).
It is very flat so the GBA-SP could be small, therefore if you had AA's it would be much larger.
In addition the AA's may not have similar capacity, as many people will just by cheap rechargables and complain like hell when it lasts 4 hours (PSP
Lastly, it recharges the batteries inside the machine, it is a hassle (on some items) to take batteries in and out, ever had a RC car?
PS: I think there is an adaptor to recharge from USB?!?
According to the developer of the PSP in an interview, the PSP should be about as powerful as the PS2, and the batteries are replaceable, so you can carry a spare. Judging by the size of the new PS2, it's easy to believe they fit that kind of power in to a handheld. The question is: Do people really want to be able to take Metal Gear with them wherever they go? By the way, look at that trailer!! Wow if the graphics are that gorgeous, people could be buying a PSP to keep alongside their PS2 as another console.
As the owner of a PS2, I'd love to be able to play my games on the move.
However, having already paid around £40 for each game, there's no way I'm paying that again to go mobile.
Why oh why do they have to be so anal with their formats?
The battery on the PSP is a clip-in style one, and you'll be able to buy extras one to take with you. Its not a screw-in style like the iPod battery. Theres no need to buy an external battery pack.
http://twitter.com/onion2k
I own three* GBA games for travelling, and they are about the only three I will ever will buy, the shelves are full of FFING pokemon green leaf fire ruby red shappire pink.... whatever. And that Harry FFFING Potter game that never sells :).
So as far as games are concerned go with PSP. (Unless you actually are 7, the i apologise)
* The games
Advance wars 2 - Favourite at least it has some strategy (hehe).
Sonic Advance 3 - I owned a megadrive and this IS actually a good solid platformer, way better than mario.
Golden Sun 2 - GOD, this is why consoles suck, NO PATCHES it is an RPG that doesnt allow players to skip ANY dialogue.
...if Rockstar releases GTA SA for the PSP then we have a winner!
Once you lick the lollipop of mediocrity, you'll suck forever!
There's already an Emu for the GP32 to be able to play PS1 games (not to mention tons of other emus as well as native games). It's not finished but it's looking damn good. The unit is cheaper, and probably faster as well.
http://gp32emu.dcemu.co.uk/fpse.shtml
http://www.gp32.com
Dada dada is better than dada. Now once more dada dada better than dada dada but dada dada doesn't deserve it.
Shallow, unbased, prejudiced, inviting flaming replies.
This guy is a troll.
Please try to keep your language civil and don't use any cuss words here. You could also try to keep your exclamation points to one or two, at most.
You could for example say:
Suffocate on your own feces, behind funny-man!At least not inherently childish. There's no reason at all why an adult can't enjoy it. In fact, many adults, like myself, do enjoy these "pocket monster" games.
Please provide some sort of evidence to support your claims.
Then don't buy it for that kid. Give him etch-a-sketch instead.
No offence, but I hope you never have kids. Just from someone who never understood what was so great about the bloody things.
CoUnTeR ReToRt!
QuEsTiOnInG oF sExUaL pReFeReNcE!
So what about running linux on the PSP? Any idea what type of CPU they're using? MIPS, ARM?
They mean as competition to the new Gameboy DS... not the SP, since that one can't even compete with the features the PSP provides?!
F/OSS & IT Consultant
for the feature set, 4-6 hours is what you can expect given the current battery technology. there is no battery right now that can give significantly more than this to drive the specs PSP have. (otherwise, everyone else would be using it and our expectations would be different.) if it gave better than 4-6 hours, then some of the features would be removed and then people would be complaining about that.
or do you think sony implemented a battery draining system on purpose to reduce the battery life? there's not magic battery out there. if you want to call something not "fantastic," how about the law of nature and the state of technology/engineering/manufacturing?
American gamers are going to be seriously pissed.
God Bless America. Why? Did it sneeze?
I would guess that it would be less than that. Playstation 2 processor and a beautiful screen? It will eat those batteries alive. Those screens don't just bust out all of those colors so efficiently.
From one of the articles:
PSP features an integrated high output lithium-ion battery that provides play time of between 4 and 6 hours for game titles and continuous 4 to 5 hours for video viewing. (SCEI actual measurement) [...] Measurement conditions: display luminance set to maximum (180 cd/m2) and minimum (80 cd/m2) while volume is set to half of the maximum level, headphone in use and wireless LAN not in use.
Correction. Plays movies in a proprietary format in letterbox
No correction needed, it has a wide screen display, it was their only point, which is true. How is this "claim ridiculous"?
3. Plays awesome video games.
Let me get this straight, your saying that a game system manufacturer that "claims" that their system allows you to play "awesome video games" is a "ridiculous claim"? Would you prefer if they said that it played "mediocre games"?
Uh, not without a hard drive. Hard drives are where it's at these days. Not much more to say.
Sorry, where it's "at" these days is removeable USB storage, NOT hd's (other than in mp3 players). Removeable solid state storage is the big thing.
Conclusion? It is a game machine. If you buy it for any other reason than the games, you're fooling yourself.
Came to that conclusion all by yourself did you? No duh it's a game machine. I guess Sony's marketing dept should just not mention any features that are not 100% specific to gaming.
DS has the advantage of NINTENDO, which makes nothing but great software. Also, the DS has the innovation of the two screens, touch screen, voice activation and killer 3rd party support. Sony has the disadvantage of selling a unit at a loss, which means the hardware will suck as is the case with the ps2 and before that the original playstation.
Ubuntu- Linux for human beings.
Wait a second, you're saying that a game has to be complex or have complex dialogue and an adult protagonist in order to be "mature"? What are you smoking?
How many video games have complex dialogue? Hardly any. When is the last time the dialogue in a video game made you crack open a dictionary or philosophy book, or took a concerted effort to understand? Probably never.
And why should it make any difference what age the protagonist is? Are you saying that Fable is a childish game? After all, in that game you start out as a child.
Is Tetris a childish game? It's very simple, after all. I wonder why so many adults like it then. Hmmmm.... Maybe you need to revise your criteria for deciding what is or is not "childish".
The Associated Press says the device will sell for 19,800 yen or $186 U.S. and frankly, I think they are more reliable. It also makes more sense because it makes it just a tad more expensive than the DS.
" I'm sure as the PSP advances they will be able to get more juice from it in terms of battery life."
Why are you sure of this?
If it does not happen the way you speculate, are you personally willing to refund people's money?
Or are you talking out of your ass?
Sony has come up with some miserable failures for electronic devices lately. This very possibly could be another failure.
Halo was cool and innovative back in 1997, with the beatiful plant life and native animals scurrying about. The thing that came out with the Xbox a couple years ago was a lame excuse for a cutting edge FPS. Those that have played Halo2 know that it _still_ doesn't live up to what Halo was before Microsoft got their hands on it.
The original point was that it could be used as a portable DVD player in a pinch.
About a zillion people have pointed out that without standard media support, you can't actually get any movies to the PSP, and it certainly can't play any movies.
But hey, keep hoping.
" Minidisk caught on in Japan, it had the same market share as CD for a good several years"
*cough*bullshit
"Betamax was used by TV news stations for quite a long time."
It was not Betamax. It was a format by sony that looked like Beta, but it wasn't beta. I'll let you google, because you seem to have a lot of energy.
With flash memory being sub-$100 per gig
Can parents afford $547 ($349 for a PSP and sub-$200 for a 2 GB Memory Stick) in this period of jobless growth when they could just pay $348 ($149 for a Nintendo DS and $199 for a Wal-Mart portable DVD player)?
Sure we might have to convert our DVDs... but that is not a big deal.
Other than Columbia Tristar and MGM, movie studios owned by Sony, what studio would offer to residential users a license to interface with DVD copy protection in order to copy a movie for use on a Memory Stick in a PSP?
GBA Video titles aren't compatible with all GBA hardware. Majesco had to put that "Not Compatible with Game Boy Player" screen on all titles because the licensors of TV show works were scared about the GameCube's inability to output Macrovision video copy protection signals.
Besides, DVDs are twice as cheap ($20 for 90 minute DVD vs. $20 for 45 minute GBA cartridge).
Another proprietary media format from Sony that will not catch on.
Sony developed Compact Disc, and for 20 years or so it was proprietary. Columbia Tristar and MGM will definitely be in on it; the point is how willing the other five studios will be to license their movies for UMD.
No, a fellow can't just use a PS2, as neither the PS2 nor the new thinner PS2 can play PSP exclusive titles, just as the N64 could not play Game Boy Color exclusive titles[1]. Or do you expect the PS3 to have an optional UMD reader that plugs into its FireWire port the way the GameCube has a Game Boy Player?
[1] Nintendo did make a "Wide Boy 64" accessory but sold it only to developers and members of the gaming press, not residential users.
Additional batteries are $45. Given that this thing costs $200 less than everyone thought, it isn't too much a hassle to throw an extra battery in your pocket. They are not all that big looking. At the $400 price, thats a 20-30 hour battery life. Scale accordingly, and subtract for the hassle of carrying extra batteries. Not that I fully believe myself, I am just tryin to look at it a little differently
If you could sit in your living room and play, why would you buy a portable game machine?
For the handheld-exclusive titles. Where is (for instance) The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening or either of the Oracle games for a set-top console?
Nintendo's release of the Gameboy Advance Player for the Game Cube made [a 3rd party TV adapter] obsolete.
Not necessarily, for two reasons:
awesome...but where's the stylus and the Linux-based PDA OS?
CF and WiFi support would be nice too.
n/t
The gameboy will still exist and still be supported.
[The PSP has] full true 3d as opposed to n64 graphics on the DS
Sony is trying to dissuade developers from using any "full true 3D" in order to make the battery last 6 hours and not 3. The "N64 graphics" for the first DS titles look a lot better than the "N64 graphics" for the first N64 titles, and because the pixel shader runs along the raster, it's more likely that DS games will run in 60 frames per second vs. N64 typical 30 or 20 frames per second.
....
hi
Let's proudly proclaim that all Nintendo games are for "kiddies"! Let's fail to back it up in any logical manner. Whoo-hooo! This is fun!
Moron...
Ok, so i agree that children are a large market and adults still play these things a lot, even i try and get my hands on my nephews GBSP as much as possible. :) BUT... have you noticed how hard it is to play a game on those things?? i definitely don't have large hands or poor eyesite, but the buttons are tiny! I was trying to play something like super mario world and actually had difficulty because the controls were small and difficult to use... i guess the screen size is ok, but if you go to larger sizes, then you kill your battery life, etc etc. and larger controls mean larger unit... oh well, i guess you're screwed either way. :)
(yes, i usually answer my own thoughts, thank you very much)
Has any American bought a card battle video game besides the PA guys?
I don't know what "PA" is, but Pokemon, Magic, and Yu-Gi-Oh! have all been turned into console/handheld games. Both Yu-Gi-Oh! and Metal Gear are Konami franchises, so I guess this was just a way to flex the existing Yu-Gi-Oh! engine without turning the PSP into a kiddie system.
Is there a limitation that allows you to not control him directly?
I'm pretty sure that the battery conservation is at least one reason for low-drain game designs such as card battle simulation.
Uh, not without a hard drive.
Memory Stick?
Can you get a PSP disc recorder? Can you even buy blank media?
Residential users can't buy a UMD recorder, but remember: Memory Stick.
Companies have tried and tried to take on the GameBoy. Can you name all the portable game players that have come and gone? They've all flopped. And looking at the bulky and reactionary design of this PSP and it's low battery life I predict failure. The newest GameBoy has a nice lighted screen, it's tiny, and it folds up to keep the screen from getting scratched. The PSP looks almost identical to Sega's Game Gear or that recent Nokia flop. And who want's to view a movie on a 4.3 inch screen? With a screen that small I doubt that I'd be able to make out an orc from a dwarf while watching LOTR.
The key difference between the PSP vs. the Game Gear and the Lynx is the amount of capital that Sony has. Just like Microsoft, Sony can afford to absorb the costs of a launch.
Battery life has killed it for every previous company to go against Nintendo. But no previous company was a mega corporation.
I still think the DS will flourish but perhapse the handheld market is big enough for the PSP?
Im going with the Nintendo DS because its a much better plattform to port Linux too. Theres even a website already working to get Linux going into the Nintendo DS. Its dslinux.com
GBA games are mostly ports of console games. FFTA is basically a watered-down version of the original FFT, which was for PSX (and worked quite well there). Ports of all the Super Mario Allstars games (as individual carts), ports of Zelda, ports/remakes of old games (Shining, Phantasy Star, Final Fantasy Adventure/Sword of Mana, Metroid ZM, direct NES title ports).
The few titles that have been original (Golden Sun, Metroid Fusion, etc.; you know the ones) haven't been that great, either. Castlevania has been good. Wario Ware was funny and fun. Advance Wars was good. But c'mon here. I bought a GBA and a GBA SP, hoping for a whole new lineup of SNES-era games, and all I got was ports.
I don't know what you're smoking, but you obviously haven't had beyond a cursory glance at what the PSP will be offering. You saw Gran Turismo 4, and heard that there would be Metal Gear, and though "ports!"
There are already a good number of original games lined up. Ren Goku. Mercury. Metal Gear Acid (no, this is not a port, and no, the fact it's turn-based is actually pretty logical). The Gagharv. Ten No Kagi. Many more, go look (psp.ign.com or the like).
It is all about the games. That's what Sony has to offer: a great selection of original games.
Don't think of it as a flame---it's more like an argument that does 3d6 fire damage
When I was a kid I had a lot of free time because I couldn't drive a car. I rode in the family car on trips. I rode the bus. I waited for the bus. I waited for the rest of the family to do a thousand other things. This is why kids are the best market for portable game machines.
Now that I am an adult I don't usually have more than a few minutes of downtime while waiting for something or other. My phone is perfectly capable of playing the types of games that are possible during these short breaks.
The original Playstation was immensely popular because Sony marketed it to teens and twenty-something students. I think it is a gamble that this core Sony market will have the time and the inclination to use this rather large and expensive gaming system.
PSP is priced at $200, not $350
With enough spare batteries to make its battery life Game Boy-caliber, it is. Or with three games it is, as the DS has no GBA-bargain-bin backward compatibility to hold the kids over until the parent earns more money to buy games.
Umm, not that I don't agree with you in general, but when you said:
"At least Nintendo knows what they make are toys. Nintendo is out to maximize the toy experience, not add crap on top and charge you for it."
it totally reminded me of the sales guy telling me that the new DS handheld will have palmOS built in--you know, with the organizer and the address list and the notepad, and the expenses tracker and the clock and the to do list and...
Um, the guy you're replying to is absolutely right. You're comparing apples and oranges here. They let consoles "spin and spin" because they have no reason to stop them from spinning. It's plugged into the wall and power is infinite. Why bother powering it down, expecially when you can shave a bit off of access times by leaving it spinning and powered up?
But almost every spinning portable media device has that power constraint and some of the more advanced players, especially the MP3 ones, read chunks of the song into memory and idle down/off to conserve on power. Your remark on his inexperience and the PS2 completely baffles me, especially since he never refered to a console and the fact that he's absolutely right. You can probably read gaming data in nice dicreet chunks into memory for execution, power down until you need the next executable chunk, but video data? Very data intenisive.
On that note, game life will probably depend on the developer as well, and how they code the game. Sloppy programming may mean more disk access times, draining more power.
Don't ding somebody on inexperience, especially when it's obvious you're not even on the same page as him.
You need a FREE iPod Nano
Because I love having to find a save point before the battery bites it so I can swap it out. Multiple batteries aren't enough if you have to turn it off to switch them.
Just because the PSP has a USB device doesn't mean it's more hackable. The DS has 4MB of RAM that can be used to multiboot programs from a wireless network, in the same way that the GBA had 256k to multiboot off of the GBA connector.
The PSP is more of a powerhouse, but I am convinced that Nintendo has the right idea that gamers are not looking for more of the same. If I want to play Metal Gear Solid or GT I'll play it on the PS2.
Dual screen, touch pad, no load time, cheaper, and infinatly more possibilities for different styles of gameplay than the PSP has the offer is what got my vote and my pre-order.
why not just use their existing Hi-MD format?? each disc holds about 950mb and they're already tooled to manufacture the disc...
I carry mine on geology expeditions. We have access to an 80 watt solar cell array when we backpack but it is better to use it for the GPS units and other survey equipment. Sometimes I am off the grid for a week or more. I play action games for 30 minutes or less usually but I like to play everyday at some point. When I am in a MMORPG mood I can sit and play for 4-5 hours.
An Education is the Font of All Liberty
given that Gran Tursimo is being more or less directly ported over to the PSP from the PS2 i don't think it is an unfounded comparison.
i hate consoles, but i will be buying a PSP.
Obviously, change "DS has" to "PSP unlike the DS has" in grandparent.
I think many Nintendo fanboys are actually scared by the lower price for the PSP, because now there is one less reason to dismiss it. But think about it...a lower price for the PSP will cause Nintendo to drop the price on the DS faster. Competition is a good thing.
I belive Konami went with making MGS a card battler because they've been putting all their resources into MGS3.
I'm guessing it will be some generic card battler game with Snake thrown in to make it sell. The only problem with this, regardless if it's a a good game or not, is that there may be a slim chance that people who like the MGS series are going to be the same people who like card battlers.
People seem to forget that Nintendo doesn't exactly have a spotless record when it comes to "handheld" systems.. Remember the virtual boy? That thing was massive! The general perception was that the VBoy was supposed to be portable, and it flopped horribly.
However, having said that, the battery life is going to be a sticking point for me about the PSP. If I can buy an extra battery and swap it in without having to turn off my games, that would be really cool. But, I doubt that would be possible. Oh well.
in girum imus nocte et consumimur igni
Pretty much nobody? I suppose the couple people at that little get-together called "E3" don't qualify. Nor do the other couple people who went to that little "TGS" thing.
Or the few people who downloaded the videos from both shows. (Dig around on psp.ign.com)
Don't think of it as a flame---it's more like an argument that does 3d6 fire damage
Here's an interesting observation: according to many sources, the PSP will only include region coding for movie UMDs (4-5 hrs battery life, folks, I noticed people taking potshots at battery life on the basis of little disk access, without looking at the figures for movie streaming). With this in mind, observe the region 2 logo on the PSP's box. Region 2 being the movie region that the UK's in. Also note the 110-240V 50-Hz inputs accepted by the AC adaptor, which conveniently comes with a standard kettle plug for the actual mains connector. Thirdly, notice the launch price is ~£100, or ~£125 for the value pack. And that UK gamers are used to paying £x for the price where x=the US price in US dollars (Sony and Microsoft in particular don't seem to understand the concept of exchange rates). The perfect system for a UK importer?
No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
They reckon it's more practical for a system where you're likely to be bumping around on a bus during play. Also, I've been waiting for the series to try out turn based strategy for ages, so I'm chuffed.
No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
I get 10 hours with backlight on from my SP, so this seems reasonable. (I have the sound off, tho', 'cos there's no sodding headphone jack).
Vino, gyno, and techno -Bruce Sterling
The SNES could [play Game Boy Color exclusive titles]. It's called the Super Game Boy.
Stick any of the later Game Boy Color games with a clear housing into a Game Boy, Game Boy Pocket, or Game Boy Pocket Light system or Super Game Boy accessory, and you get the following error message:
Where are the people who didn't like the GBA's wide screen? PSP goes even further with its 16:9 ratio, and I honestly think that's not of much use for many game genres.
If i read the press release correctly it will be released in JAPAN on 12/12/04. This is not good for the american audience. when will it be released HERE? because i'm putting in my order for 3 NDS units and i'll have them 11/21/04 (in hand)
Yes, I have seen it happen ... in Japan ^_^
Seriously, it actually does happen. I've been on a train in Japan and watched kids play cell phone games with each other while they are going to school. And that was 2 years ago.
Once there are good games and many people own a compatible device, this will start happening all over the world. We all know how many ngage's there are out there.
But the DS and PSP will be different.
Watch the airports and any other mass transportation over the next two years. It'll be a lot of fun!
[The GBA] isn't even up to the standards of the SNES (far worse sound,
IAAGBAD. Super NES sound is based on hard-mixing eight hard-decompressed samples, where the fixed ratio is 9 bytes per 16 samples, and the loading time to get sound onto the DSP's RAM can be unbearable in poorly designed games. GBA sound is based on soft-mixing any number of uncompressed samples. However, soft-decompression of audio streams is possible on the GBA, allowing for GSM 06.10 audio at 33 bytes per 160 samples, making Bemani music games possible in theory).
lower resolution,
The screen on the GBA (240x160) is only 6% less wide in pixels as the screen on the Super NES (256x224). In fact, many games use ClearType style subpixel rendering (see here or here) to make diagonal lines even cleaner than was ever possible on the Super NES. In addition, compare 3D games on the Super NES (e.g. the Super NES version of Wolfenstein 3D, which used pixel doubling and a black border; think 112x80 or so) to 3D games on the GBA (e.g. the much cleaner port of Wolfenstein 3D).
poorer controls
Do you merely mean "lack of X and Y buttons" or did your GBA's controls wear out prematurely?
screen is too dark).
I'll grant you an initial production run of developer units with too-bright screens (dev units used 0-31 ranges for RGB components while final hardware used 8-31 ranges, causing visibility problems in launch titles). However, later games take this into account.
but the games are still going to look really blocky.
But will it matter? Remember that the PS1, which lacked bilinear filtering, beat the N64, which had bilinear filtering, in the American market. Also remember that Nintendo's battery life über alles strategy has worked in the past, defeating Sega's Game Gear which was superior in every way but sound and battery life. Sony has to ask developers to downgrade PSP games to GBA graphic levels and PS1 loading times in order to compensate.
That weak hardware is the bottleneck though.
OK, granted, the frame rate of some of the launch titles may suck, but do you think the launch titles' T&L will represent the performance that can be had with the dirty tricks in future titles' engines?
I would love to get dual use out of one of these toys. I meta-modded the off-topic as unfair.
All my previous sigs now look like this one, I wish they were permanetly recorded when used.