Sony Announces PSP Launch Date

Today we have word that Sony has announced a U.S. launch date and price for their upcoming PSP handheld. The date? March 24th, and the unit will retail for $249.99 when it hits the street. From the article: "the PSP Value Pack contains ... [a] 32 MB Memory Stick, headphones with remote control, battery pack, AC adaptor, soft case and cleaning cloth, movie/music/game video sampler UMD disc including multiple non-interactive game demos, and for the first one million PSP Value Packs shipped, a special UMD video release of the feature film Spider-Man(TM) 2 from Sony Pictures Entertainment."

Comments

Re:handheld gaming

[diamondsw]

I see many problems with the DS suceeding.

Product Positioning
It's stuck between the GBA-SP and PSP. The GBA SP may be too popular for the DS's own good. I'm not talking games, I'm talking form factor and design. People almost universally agree it's an outstanding design - tiny with the perfect feature set. Meanwhile, the DS is very bulky in comparison - certainly isn't going into my top jacket pocket, and even may be bulky in my jeans pocket. Meanwhile, the PSP offers pure style and power. As Ridge Racer comparisons show, the DS simply does not compete graphically. It's really embarrassing for the DS, and it's only going to get worse. Why?

Third Party Developers
I doubt major game developers will do anything neat with the second screen, as the vast majority of games are multi-platform. Just like in cross-platform computer applications, when this happens the unique features a system may offer are almost always underutilized - here, the DS's second screen and touchpad. However, developers WILL use the PSP's graphics - that might as well be free to them - they know how to do it from years of console experience, and it's much easier to design a good game for the PSP and tune down the graphics for the DS. Meanwhile, I highly doubt many will give more than lipservice to the DS's second screen and touchpad. Nintendo will doubtless do some great first-party games (it's why I have a Cube), but even from them, all we really have so far is maps on the second screen, and some occasional minigames. That is NOT the revolutionary platform Nintendo would like us to think this is, and is worrisome.

Usability
I've played on a DS - I can't watch two screens at once. The stylus, while potentially very interesting, so far seems to be a crutch for the lack of analog control. Anyone who's played a racing game will tell you that nothing can replace analog control. Not to mention, how can you use all of the controls and stylus at once? It seems to make for games where most action occurs using the standard controls, and then different sections that use the stylus, whereas the analog controls can be used seamlessly. But the DS doesn't have it - the PSP does.

Rehashes?
Why does the PSP get such a bad rap on rehashes? Because it looks so much like a PS2? That should be a compliment. Meanwhile, the DS is offering us N64 and GameCube rehashes, scaled down to the DS's capabilities with some minor changes. Mario DS (Mario 64 with added characters and some levels), Animal Crossing DS, Metroid Hunters (not terribly different other than a poor multiplayer mode - haven't tried the stylus versus analog control yet). Rehashes. So why does the PSP get such a knock and the DS does not?

The DS is an interesting concept but ultimately not very compelling, especially when stuck between the minute perfect-ness of the GBA-SP and the sleek power of the PSP. I really see little to no market for it.

Time will tell, of course.