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Sony to PSP Owners: Just Adapt
Cymoro writes "In an article Gamespot posted recently Ken Kutaragi, Sony Computer Entertainment president, was quoted in a japanese business magazine about the PSP square button defect as saying "There may be people that complain about its usability, but that's something which users and game software developers will have to adapt to." Apparently, flaws are a feature."
"I believe we made the most beautiful thing in the world. Nobody would criticize a renowned architect's blueprint that the position of a gate is wrong. It's the same as that."
Yeah... but what if the gate didn't work? Besides, isn't saying something is 'wrong' a criticism?
If the gate refused to open sometimes, killed a couple people, or was in an area where someone couldn't enter the gate, they sure would. And they'd have the gate fixed. Why shouldn't they fix a gaming handheld, for crying out loud?
Elmo knows where you live!
Reasons the PSP died:
...And a company behind it that tells the users to put up with the crappy design.
1) Shorter battery life to the DS
2) Load times on a portable don't work
3) Crappy design...
4)
I rarely find myself defending Sony in any matter. But this time, at least Mr. Kutaragi is willing to admit the PSP has a problem, and can offer a logical explanation for the engineering compromises that led to this design.
Now I'm looking forward to his explanation about the UMD launching mechanism "feature".
Must... think up... something... clever!
I only approach these kind of gates with a tranq gun in hand. You never know when they might chomp you.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
Weaslease to English translation:
"We screwed up the design, but we can't figure out how to fix it, so live with it, you ungrateful fuckers."
I know BSD rhymes with PSP, but who died (heh) and appointed you Netcraft?
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
People not buying Sony's flawed product is something Sony will just have to adapt to.
Yeah I can see Sony's point. I mean, why would I want a console that had working buttons? Sony is right here. They're always right. I mean come on, the mp3 format didn't catch on at all. They were right about that too.
If the button mechanism had to be placed further to the right than the button itself, why didn't they just make the PSP more wide by that small amount of distance? It probably wouldn't have increased the width by a noticable amount.
If it was produced to specifications, then I have some questions for whomever forced those specifications all the way past the play-testing phase.
Some things you do have to just adapt to. And while it does sound unreasonable for the company not to "fix" it it's just as unreasonable to complain about it now that you've got it. You can either take your PSP back to the store in an attempt at a refund, or decide if you want to purchase one or not if you haven't already got one. So yeah.... just adapt.
The eternal struggle of good vs. evil begins within one's self.
They're going to get rid of that whole side-talking thing. Oh nevermind, we're talking about a different system.
So, less than 5000 of the units have been returned for repair. Does anyone have any numbers of how this compares to other consoles, especially the Nintendo DS? I honestly have no idea. I will, however tip my cap to nintendo for promising to fix any dead pixels
I'll buy something else. (Oh wait... I already have... It's called the DS)
Doesn't mean it's still right.
There are the occasional engineering blunders and oversights. Just because it was written to be so on the design specifications, doesn't mean it's an ideal solution.
--Stephen
Did you ever notice that *nix doesn't even cover Linux?
"The button's location is [architectured] on purpose," Kutaragi added. "It's according to specifications. This is something that we've created, and this is our specification. There was a clear purpose to it, and it wasn't a mistake."
I see. I'm sure the translator made a mistake what Kutaragi really said:
"Production was already done by the time we knew of the design flaw. We are too lazy to go back and do something about it."
Just like Lucas has ALWAYS knew that Star Wars was going to be a 9 part series and Wachowskis ALWAYS knew The Matrix was going to be a trilogy.
Brilliant!
-Shawn "If the Name Don't Rhyme It Ain't Mine" Conn
i totally want to go out and buy one now. i mean, my level of intruige sky rocketed when i heard the news that they're selling broken handhelds.
You just can't talk to artists
>
Off in the distance, I hear a PSP crying out:
"I'm not dead yet!"
You can't take the PSP for dead like that (not yet released in the US) - it's against regulations!
That sounds just like Apple and their single-mouse button...
(Ducks)
Isn't this the same Ken Kutaragi of Father of PlayStation Admits Sony Mistakes fame?
Looks like the Sony board of directors bitch-slapped him good after giving that interview. Glad to see he's back to his good old self again.
Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder.
It's "adapt or we'll replace it", did the editor even read Ken's statement? IT SAYS THE AFFECTED PSPS WERE REPLACED
On top of that you have to account for importers, people who just want the damned thing for bragging rights and for video game reviewing/developing companies who simply can't afford to risk not having a PSP on hand 24/7.
Okay, so knowing Sony's past record on consoles (Playstation & PSOne, etc.), and since we're sure that they're aware of their competitor's (Nintendo) past record, within two years there's going to be a PSP SP with the problem "fixed." No question about it.
Condemnant quod non intellegunt.
Could this be a Japanese thing? It makes me think of Nintendo's comments about online gaming not being important regardless of the evidence. The Japanese will make an problematic or unsuccessful product and put all the blame on the consumer. "We didn't make a mistake but you are very stupid." I think an American company would approach this issue much differently. Not sure I would like that either.
The flaw affects all units, .6% have actually RETURNED theirs. Just like the original xbox controllers largesse made me and many others hold off buying it, this issue will do the same.
It makes me think of Nintendo's comments about online gaming not being important regardless of the evidence.
The evidence?
You mean Nintendo's Japan-only online offerings in their consoles previous to the Gamecube going nowhere; and in this generation Xbox Live, the best online gaming platform ever created, having a vanishingly small uptake of under 10% of the XBox userbase?
What gets me and its not the design being flawed or not, or even they are going to fix it or not. The thing that gets me is the response that this is just something the users and the game developers will have to deal with. Though part of that might be the translation of what he said, though with the track record of Sony I don't think it was the translation.
I didn't write the parent, but it clearly isn't flamebait. It is neither inciteful nor incorrect. In fact, it is completely true and serves as good counterpoint relative to the topic at hand.
It may be considered off-topic by strict definitions, but it is more on-topic than other things that have been said here, and is certainly not flamebait.
Now MY post (this one you're reading right now) is a meta-post, and, taboo that it is to talk about Slashdot contents and practices on Slashdot, may be considered off-topic. So when some sane moderators spend a mod point bringing the parent back up from -1, someone please take THIS post down to -1. Thanks.
Your energies are misdirected.
I didn't write the parent, but it clearly isn't flamebait. It is neither inciteful nor incorrect. In fact, it is completely true and serves as good counterpoint relative to the topic at hand.
Except, of course, for the fact that the DS wasn't designed to have dead pixels, thus making mentioning it completely irrelevant.
Rob
hmmmm...
well i have to see their point of view....on one hand they have to fit alot of hardware into a "portable" space.
However mis-aligning the square button...that definatly going to annoy alot of gamers...
Damned if you do, damned if you don't
However saying to the PS1/2 generation to just "adapt" thats not going to go down well
The two most common elements in the universe are Hydrogen and Stupidity.
but it gives the wrong answer when even numbers are input.
however, this was a design decision to make the calculations 300% faster. I didn't want to make the exe any larger, or the calculations any slower.
There may be people that complain about its usefulness when it gives wrong answers, but that's something which users will have to adapt to.
MORONS! Sony IS A GROUP OF MORONS!!!
Whew - glad I got that off. "You have to adapt"???? Pbbbbttt... How about I go buy a functional DS? Not only is it out already, But It seems to work most of the time.
Wow, who were they trying to win with this response... Ergonomic Functionality Nazis - No Button For You!!!
Physics is nothing like religion. If it was, we'd have an easier time trying to raise money!
If a "premier" electronics company releasing a flagship product such as the PSP, it should at least get simple button placement right. It is even more ridiculous because the main function of the PSP is to play games, which requires pressing buttons. This is akin to having 1/8 of the display of monitor not working and the company saying "get used to it!". Would Nintendo/Sony/Sega/Atari ever think of relesing a product with 1 out of 4 main buttons severly disabled?
http://chrono.posterous.com/
This reminds me of when the first Pentium chips rolled out, and that guy found the math problem that I don't think any common consumer would find, but yet people like me got a replacement (with a chip that probably had the same problems). I just wonder if the people returning it fall in the same category.
The only game like this on DS was Marri 64, and I do believe it has quite a large number of extra features. I hadn't beaten the game when it first came out, however, so it's all new to me. As for old games on the Advance system, I sure there are a few, but none come to mind, the system was so full of new ones.
I'd also like to see you twist your DS and see what happens. More than likely it'll break in two instead of just pop the disk out
Tried it. Nothing happened.
I am yet to get my hands on a live PSP so I can't really comment on the button issue (and I'm sure most of you are in the same boat.)
I do not own one, no. However, a good friend of mine (despite my warnings to the contrary) was one of the people who bought one off Ebay for 500+ dollars. It's got 17 dead pixels and the disc shoots out with a slight twist, although he dosen't like me to do it. The square button, while not a problem yet, is a design error they should have caught early and fixed early. There is NO excuse for putting somthing that blatantly wrong into the system.
what about the faulty touch screen a while back that was designed to have the lower refresh rate?
As for the rehash of old games, I was talking about Nintendo Handheld systems as a whole. The GBA has been a LOT of SNES games. Just take a look at all the Marios for that one. I still can't get over the literal translations of NES games. While they're all good games, I can't see paying 20-30 bucks again for something I paid for years ago. I miss the days of Final Fantasy Adventure (which is one of the best original Gameboy games ever along with the Legend series) and the probably less well known Radar Mission (a very well done Battleship type clone). The Zeldas for GB have been awesome, but far and few between. I was so glad to get my hands on Minish Cap.
MarioDS IS a great remake. I won't argue with you there. I haven't played much of it myself. My brother has played most of it and I've seen the explosion of extra games that he's unlocked as a result (not to mention all the different areas in the regular levels he keeps talking about). The incorporation of other characters was also a great addition.
When you buying/importing something like that off Ebay, you should expect to get into trouble. I wouldn't drop that much money to have the system three months early when there aren't as many games to play (especially ones that aren't translated yet...). Nintendo should have waited till March to release as well. There aren't many games as of yet, and some of the good ones aren't out till around that time. I'd settle for GBA games on my GBA SP until a decent amount of DS games were out( even though the backwards compatability was botched on the DS).
Seventeen pixels is hard to believe but I'm sure replacable should he have purchased it legitly in the correct region. I'm yet to truly get an grasp on this square button issue since I don't have a PSP in my hands yet, but it sounds more like a blown out of proportion thing to me. If you want a design flaw for the DS, take a look at all the wasted space next to the screens, they should have made them a little larger....
All in all I'm not really putting down the DS console because it has some good potential for fresh new games (and there are some that are making me think about getting it). I'm just saying I'm mostly dissapointed in the number of "new" games for the handheld market in that past few years and I can't wait for some of the PSP ones they have slated. I'm sure you're as excited as I am about some of the games for DS like Warioware, Zelda, and Animal Crossing, right?
Is it me, or is there a sever issue with Sony Quality Control the last few years? You would think that they would learn what an effective test plan is after the PlayStation 2 mode switch issue.
In God we trust, all others require data.
First of all, the Article clearly mentions "Flaw found in sony psp". your article seems to be about sony's petulent reaction to a wide known, huge problem. Tip: IT was not a huge known problem! its a tiny problem people just realized it has! how much time has the PSP been out, and how many times have you heard of this problem?
A poster already mentioned it, if you read all Japanese responses on problems found in any device, they answer is always the same: "its such a tiny problem, its perfect even with it!". Yes, it sounds stupid, but they are all the same. Hoping for another answer is like expecting an honest american preview saying "its just a piece of crap!" go ahead try to find ONE (even on extremely crappy games).
You also apparently believe Sony will never fix the problem. IT will be fixed. theres a coming American release of the PSP and I bet money all these glitches will be gone with it. (I mean, they are not even difficult to fix!) probably later and update will probably be released in Japan. Sony does this.
I mean seriously you have no idea how many playstation(1 and 2) versions are there? you think they release the same version for 5 years? (that I know of they are at least 5 ps1 versions each with different fixes and features).
The psp reasons for failure:*Price, battery, glitches. DS WILL RULE!
Guys I hate to break your bubble BUT where I live my friends (and customers) are buying the PSP at $500 (almost 4 times the estimated final price) no one has complaint about the battery (they charge it once a day, and we actually advice them that), no one has found or noticed not even one single glitch (this button glitch will be news to them). They are as happy as can be with it and surpringsily the psp's are outsold here.
I have only seen 2 DS being sold (by known n fanboys btw), most customers ask for it then return it after seing the graphics/games and checking the price.($200)
(gba's sp are getting sold very well though $50)
Actually the only reason why I havent got a PSP yet is that im waiting for the American Release (for the price mostly)
Go ahead MOD my day!
More opinions here
First you say, "The idea of some repackaged Dreamcast games sounds good because I never had one of those." Then, speaking of NES games repackaged for the GBA, you say, "I can't see paying 20-30 bucks again for something I paid for years ago."
Do I really need to point out the obvious? Rereleases are purchased by two kinds of people (to oversimplify): huge fans of the originals, and people who missed out on the games last time. Apparently, you fit into the latter group when it comes to Dreamcast games and into neither when it comes to the original Zelda or Metroid. There's nothing wrong with that. I'm pretty much the same in that regard, but I don't find fault with any publisher that tries to make easy money by targeting those two groups.
And as any EQ player can say "Working as intended".
Sony/Verant/SOE - no surprise
Nintendo is SUCH a better company and SO much more trustworthy than sony. I mean just look at the DS coming announcement:
"Well guys! thank you for buying the DS and all the bunch of uninspired nintendo 64 ports we half baked for it ( I cant believe you bought Mario64 again and with that control ugh!) , you kept us from almost getting bad sales in Xmas for the first time in 10 years! we were so happy about it we laughed all the way to the bank! Anyway BIG SURPRISE! Game boy evolution is coming later this year, so you can toss that piece of garbage to the bin and buy the REAL gameboy now! and the new gamecube 2 (not DS compatible of course) FULL PRICE! bring your wallets! as Americans say! WHAM! BAM! THANK-YOU MAM!"
Thats some sweet, sweet loving right there!
Their motto has a whole new meaning now.
Who are you?
And Who's your daddy, bitch?
That was sick and kind of funny in a twisted way BUT very inacurate, the Gba 2 is rumored to be released all the way 'til 2006, so DS owners have nothing to worry about (for a good year or two) however I have to agree if nintendo even tried to pull the DS too soon just to increase GBA 2 sales , it would be much worse than all the PSP glitches rolled together and probably will lose a good part of their fanbase in the process.
Btw the parent maybe a troll or flamebait but unfortunately not offtopic. Slashdot has simply ignored that probable situation in favor of reporting every tiny glitch in the psp.
Go ahead MOD my day!
More opinions here
LOL lets see what N fanboys have to say now!
WTF? I don't own a PSP yet, and with SCE's President telling me that if I buy one, I'll have to "adapt" to their failure, I don't think I will *ever* buy one.
You want me to adapt? Damn right I'll adapt -- I'll adapt the $200 I would've spent on your PSP (plus games) to some other purpose I'll enjoy more, like a new video card or some lapdances... Eat my cock, Mr. Kutaragi, you're not getting my money for a defective piece of shit.
Rule #1 of business: never, ever tell the customer to deal with your mistake. If you want to remain in the game, then fix your mistake, or get run into the ground by the competition.
Is Capitalism Good for the Poor?
Good point, I guess. If Sony wants to engineer products with inherent design flaws on purpose, you can't expect them to cite these decisions as mistakes in public and expect them to change them.
What faulty screen are you talking about? Source?
The PSP is nothing but ripped by Slashdot. They hate it.