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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."
fixed their japanese launch problems
(like "launching" disks and the flakey square button)
I don't feel the need to preorder... I'll wait for the 2nd generation.
At $250 it sounds a bit steep (one would think they'd charge less at first and ramp the price up as more games are released) but hopefully someone will circulate a petition to get Linux ported to this thing! Besides, people pay that just for portable DVD players...
Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.
-- Dr. Spock, stardate 2822-3.
... We haven't gotten any product konwledge yet. I will say that we won't be able to get it until day one here in the us. I personaly haven't touched a handheld device since my OLD SCHOOL original gameboy. But, this has promise, and with the recent release into the consumer channel of an affordable 1GB memory stick, I could actually see myself buying one. Gasp, I might actually own a portable gaming device. Hmmm.. one quesiont for the masses, would you prefer this device or a portable media center....???? feed back apreciated.
Hmmm... Technology... anyone have a match?
It just doesn't seem very comfortable or thought out. In a time when systems are getting smaller, more portable and comfortable to hold, this looks like something designed in the 80s. It may have great games, but how is it going to sell if it doesn't look cool? Maybe I'm suffering from too much iPod exposure, but there is definitely something to good packaging, and my $0.02 says that the PSP just doesn't have it.
The CB App. What's your 20?
Metal Gear Acid: Best Played While Tripping.
How much are the games? 50-70$? I think I might just stick with my outdated gameboy at prices like that. Tetris has served me well for almost a decade and I think that is value Sony will be hard pressed to compete with.
1. Video Out (how cool would an S-VIDEO port on there be). Hook up an S-VIDEO --> RCA adapter, and hook it into any TV, and play full screen. Oh how life would change.
2. WiFi instead of IrDA. Come on, what were they thinking? IrDA sucks, WiFi has so much more going for it. IMHO that was a poor choice.
3. Drop Memory Stick Duo and use Compact Flash. Lets face it... I'm a Clie owner myself. CF is the better of the two. It's price per MB is much cheaper. Not to mention you can buy them anywhere, and they are improving in capacity and speed.
I'm sure it will be a success regardless, but if it had those 3 things, it would be the ultimate killer device. A must have for anyone.
I'm curious how long it will take until someone gets Linux running on this thing. Sounds like a good device for it. Then we could (perhaps) use a WiFi or Bluetooth USB adapter!
Battery life has been measured at 5.5 hours when playing Ridge Racers (one of the more disc intensive games).
The flying disc thing is something you can _make_ it do if you try really hard. It's not something which happens in normal use.
The square button is something which some people complain about, but most don't even notice.
Personally, given the US launch price of $250, I'm even more glad I imported mine from Japan for $350 and got it early.
---- Den ene knappen er powerknapp, den andre er Bender voice knapp "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass"
Three handhelds will be with us this year, the DS, the PSP and an outsider, the Gizmondo.
Out of the three I think the PSP is the most likely to succeed. Sony's strategy is very similar to that of the first playstation, they don't want Nintendo's market, they want to open up handheld to a new more mainstream demographic. The Game Boy, while succesful, has always been seen as a childs toy. The PSP with its sexy design, playstation type games and ability to play movies will appeal to the same 15 - 25 male demographic that has made the playstation so successful.
The DS will also be succesful due to the current large Game Boy fanbase. However I predict that as Sony open the market up Nintendo's dominant share of that market will decline an they may well lose customers to the PSP if it gains enough momentum.
It would be easy to write the Gizmondo off but its GPS features (cheap for its price) mean it could well find a market amongst older people. It could open up a new 25 - 35 year old market, people who use its navigation functions but also want games, music and film. However I do think there is a risk of the Nintendo and Sony marketing machines making the Gizmondo seem invisible.
There are other factors which could affect the outcome of this handheld war. Most notably there are question marks over the PSP's battery life and loading times, these are things that shouldn't be underestimated.
It is expensive when you consider the fact that you'll have one more version (UMD) of your favorite movies to purchase that won't work on any other system. I've read else where that Sony doesn't plan on selling UMD writers so that you could copy your currently owned video content to the UMD format.
Granted, the big limitation for awhile will be storage (memory sticks don't hold much), but you shouldn't be comparing it to Nintendo's machine.
But with that Playstation brand name, people are going to be thinking of it as a video game system above all else, which, like it or not, positions it squarely against both the GBA and DS in the marketplace.
Personally, I'd compare it to any of the various video players out right now. For a screen like that, it's a steal.
People are more likely to get a DVD player (that can play, you know, actual DVDs) than this. The screen quality is irrelevant if you can't watch what you want on it.
That brings us to video playback off of memory stick. Maybe you might be able to get video onto a memory stick, but I'm still not sure Sony hasn't put some kind of restriction, in that regard, into the console. Does anyone have information on their stick video playback function besides "[Video}: "Memory Stick": MPEG-4 SP,AAC"?
Two launch titles I've seen so far are WipeOut and Armored Core. Those are easily two of the best console titles I've ever played. I've followed both series on the PS1 and PS2, and they haven't failed to impress - but never seem to pick up a massive following here for some reason.
Meanwhile, the best stuff I see on the GameBoy is just Nintendo being formulaic - timewasters and remakes. I really can't find titles that make my happy for my GBA. While the DS has real potential with its sexy hardware and stylus, the only game that's turned my crank on that thing is the new Metroid demo (finally a console FPS with a real aiming device).
No, he's not. If there's enough PSPs to go around, then there might be a shortage initially, but afterwards the resellers won't be able to find enough buyers on Ebay. You'll be able to go on Ebay and get one for a little less than what it would cost in the store, and the reseller will lose money. The same thing happens all the time with sporting event tickets.
If there really AREN'T enough to go around, you'll have a hard time finding one no matter what people do on Ebay. If this happens, get mad at Sony for screwing up the distribution.
Remember the days when Republicans were the party of fiscal responsibility?
PSP looks like it'll have better developer support than the GameGear ever had, and a huge leap in graphics over Big N's current offerings. I might just have to get a new portable game platform.
Do not touch -Willie
youre all being absolutely ridiculous saying that the DS, priced at $180, is better than the PSP at $250. I've owned both systems and the DS simply has nothing on the PSP right now. It doesnt have a single game or anything good coming out down the line. I owned my DS for like 3 weeks and then put it up on eBay. I've had my PSP for a few days and I'm blown away by it. The screen is huge and bright, the games use REAL 3d, the speakers are loud and crisp, the interface is simple and elegant, it plays Mp3 audio and Mp4 video flawlessly and the design is fantastic. I've got Hot Shots Golf and Ridge Racers and both of these games have already given me several hours of fun. I'm looking forward to Metal Gear Acid, Gran Turismo and some great looking 3d platformers. The Nintendo DS has NONE of this. I wish it did. I'm an old school Nintendo guy who has bought every Nintendo system since the NES, but seriously, Nintendo is gonna have to really work to win this battle. The PSP is just that much better than the DS. I think Sony's only flaw here is in not announcing a bare bones package with just the system. Mine cost 19,000 yen which works out to around $180 and I certainly didn't need a small 32MB card or a set of headphones.....
I just glanced through the PSP specifications and features listing and saw this in the Codec section:
[Video]: "UMD": H.264/MPEG-4 AVC Main Profile Level3
[Video}: "Memory Stick": MPEG-4 SP,AAC
[Music]: "UMD": linear PCM,ATRAC3plus(TM)
[Music}: "Memory Stick": ATRAC3plus(TM),MP3(MPEG1/2 Layer3)
UMD video is H.264/MPEG-4. Everyone here remember the weird Sony president cameo at Macworld? And if you haven't already read Bob Cringley's article regarding the future of the Mac Mini, do so. I wonder if there might be some further connection with Apple & Sony and video playing using Sony PSP as the portable hardware. Steve Jobs doesn't want to have any part of the portable video player game, so maybe he'll let Sony have it, as long as Apple gets the digital content distribution rights. How long before UMD burners become available?
That Gizmondo sounds like a very interesting device indeed, bascially the PocketPC equivalent of the Tapwave. That 400mhz Samsung ARM processor should be impressive since the 266mhz Samsung ARM processor in pocketpcs ran games about as fast as a 400mhz Intel chip. GPS, camera, mp3 and movie player all in one.
However at $400+ it'll never sell, no way no how, not when the PSP can be had for $250 with it's excellent range of titles. But if it had a cellphone too...
Remember folks it's not the size it's how you use it, or in this case, it's not the processing power it's the titles. Look how well the b&w gameboy did for years, crushing all competition that was faster with color.
my karma will be here long after I'm gone