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PSP Launch Coverage
Sony's handheld console has launched with great fanfare, and already there are plenty of places to get opinions and reviews. Shacknews has a nice hands on with the player itself, Gamespy has reviews of the launch titles, and Gamespot has coverage of just about everything on its PSP Launch Center page. From the Shacknews hands-on: "Technically speaking, the PSP is a far superior machine to the Game Boy Advance or Nintendo DS. It's a powerhouse device, capable of displaying modern graphics, playing robust sound, and can even replace a portable DVD player. However, many of its launch titles are just watered-down versions of PS2 games and Sony has no experience in portable gaming. Nintendo has been doing it right for a decade and half, why should we think the PSP can just waltz onto the scene and take over? Can it even be done?"
Nintendo is teh doomed?
People asked the same things when Sony announced the original Playstation. Give them a shot, it's not like they're totally out of touch with the gaming community.
"Nintendo has been doing it right for a decade and half, why should we think the PSP can just waltz onto the scene and take over?"
Maybe I'm crazy, but it looks to me like Sony already has experience in the whole "beating someone after over a decade of dominance" thing.
However, many of its launch titles are just watered-down versions of PS2 games
Yeah because it's not like the biggest appeal of the GBA/DS games are all the SNES ports/rehashes.
I hope I do not sound too much like a fanboy, but the handheld market is Nintendo's last "stronghold" as it were, especially here in the UK were Sony is the market leader by a huge lead. I don't want the handheld gaming market to become flooded with third party games, like the PS home console format. The best games for the GBA right now, are not the third party offerings, they are Nintendo's first party games.
I went to Gamestop earlier today. Some poor guy pre ordered a PSP and got the system. When he asked for games, the store guys said "Too bad, every PSP game has been either sold or are on reserve".
I cannot remember the last time a system launched and 100% of a store's inventory is gone.
I'm personally holding out until the library gets bigger, the price goes down, and memory sticks get cheaper. I would like to watch movies/TV shows on the go, but for now I have Bejeweled on my cell phone, a GBA for Galaga and an iPod. Come tho think of it, the only game I ever play on the GBA is old school Galaga.
Give me Bejeweled and Galaga on the PSP and I just might get one!
I think this is kinda like when the XBox came out:
Microsoft has no experience in console gaming. Nintendo has been doing it right for a decade and half, why should we think the Xbox can just waltz onto the scene and take over?
While these are not quite the same scenarios, both MS and Sony have advantages in these new markets: MS had a hojillion dollars and Sony has the console market by the balls. PlayStation fans will probably pick up the PSP, and that could really make the PSP turn up in the black (not to pun the PSP's color)
Bjorn3d also has a nice article about PSP, including two videos.
I don't want the handheld gaming market to become flooded with third party games What I meant to say is that the market could become flooded with only poor quality third party games
It's been awhile since we've had a new portable console that wasn't from Nintendo. So I think I'll at least check it out, Sony has not let me down since the playstation came out. Where as Nintendo really disapointed me with the N64, which I thought was pure crap, and I havn't looked back since.
What I see a problem is perception. Most of my friends enjoy playing games like Minish Cap and old school mario on their GBA's.
In fact, playing these games on the GBA is almost an excuse to return back to the simpler, yet highly addictive, 16-bit era where pixels were the rage and polygons only existed in arcades.
When I think of Sony, I think of Gran Turismo and realistic RPG's, not quirky sprites with catchy music that makes me want to play my GBA.
Maybe if Sony could get something like Bubble Bobble or another old franchise, PSP would have more appeal.
Just my two cents.
IGB: More fun than eating oatmeal!
Need for Speed Underground Rivals
A couple times I experienced some pretty bad slowdown. At one point during a race, all four cars were basically ramming into each other and the game dropped to about three frames per second. When I came around to that same point the next lap, there was no collision and no slowdown. I've read that I'm not alone in this situation.
Is this a hardware or software problem?
Before 1994, Sony was just an electronics company that was popular because of the walkman. It revolutionised the market with the playstation. I don't see why it can't revolutionise handhelds with the PSP.
I picked up a PSP, and I must say I am impressed. The device is great, technically and asthetically.
I also picked up two games, Tony Hawk and Lumines. I've had the chance to play each for about 30 minutes, and I must say, the PSP needs more games like Lumines (which is a puzzle game similar to Tetris, for those unaware.)
The great thing about those types of games, is they are quick to play. You can pick it up and put it down at any time, without having to get into a story or finish some long drawn-out goal or mission. I'm hoping both Sony and the game studios see a benefit in creating more games like this, especially for the PSP, but also stand-alone consoles.
I've posted links to pictures and more info to my blog, if you are interested. More info will be posted as I get a chance.
-- Fighting mediocrity one bad post at a time.
One of the most popular PSP titles with critics and gamers has been Lumines. It has also been one of the games flying off the shelves the fastest. It's being hailed as the best puzzle game since Tetris. Only time will tell if Lumines performs as a system seller in the same way that Tetris did for the original GameBoy. From the list of PSP titles at the site you can see that driving games in particular are performing well at launch.
GameTab - The Game News & Reviews Compilation Site
The article reviews a football game, two racing games, and a skate boarding game... great... Am I the only one who is almost always bored to tears by sports video games? I mean, I can play football if I want to play football. What I can't do is go assassinate someone or rule a kingdom or slay a dragon or what have you. Those things are what make fun games.
I don't know a single person who's even considering getting a PSP. Sure, we all agree it looks like a great little machine, but it seems that almost all it's selling features are just so... limited. The comment from the post is right on. Do I really need another Wipeout or Ridge Racer game? Wasn't I playing those on the first Playstation, like um, ten years ago?
I can play more music on a dedicated mp3 player, and for less money. A 4 gig iPod Mini costs 199, and this is 249 + another 119 or so for a gig of storage. That's not very good. I can also use an iPod for days before it dies, when a PSP will probably wear out in about five hours, which is shorter by far than your average work day.
Oh, but it can play movies! Yeah, but I'm not going out and buying the same movies I already own just in case I randomly want to watch them on a 4 inch screen (assuming they even come out), or spending the time to convert a movie to the MP4 format, then copy it to a huge memory stick, only to erase it again if I'd rather take something else on the go, well, that just seems like a pain in the ass to me.
So, I'm left with games, pretty much. Games that I played and got sick of ten. years. ago.
I just read about this in the Seattle Times, and wrote a letter to the columnist (the article is: PlayStation Portable: Sony's new handheld does a lot more than play games):
Hi Mark,
Long time Seattle Times reader here....
Liked your article on Sony's new playstation... a few thoughts though...
I too have long considered Sony to be a great innovator but here is what has frustrated me for sooooo long and here is why I probably will NEVER buy a Sony product again unless and until they change some of their practices.... I'll illustrate by example:
Come to think of it... I'm not so surprised, or maybe it's a lucky thing Sony's Beta never became the standard, while I wasn't really there to be part of that decision in my purchasing power... but maybe VHS was the better choice after all (even though it wasn't quite as good technically).
Just my $.02
Anyway, thanks for the article, a good read....
I can't seem to find any benchmark on this.
For days until Linux can be put on it?
The Peanut Gallery, Ubergeek, Biblically Sober
NCAAbbs.com: Thousands of fans, Hundreds of teams, Just one place
Why an iPod? Why does everyone HAVE to get an ipod? I'd rather use the PSP before I EVER think about buying an ipod. I don't listen to more than 1-2GB of music on my MP3 player at a time anyway. I'll probably pick up either 2x512MB duos or a GB duo and then I'll be able to put movies, music and photos on it. The ipod (or any other mp3 player) can't do movies. Sounds like better than a shitty ipod to me...
oh, and I can also play games too
-SaNo
There are fans of the third party developers who work for Sony, but Sony is not a gaming company and has no fans. In the end, Nintendo makes better games and if PSP has no games no one will ever buy it. I don't think a bunch of third party games will help it, NGage, remember that? Remember Gamegear? Nintendo beat both of them easily, I don't see how Sony can sell in Japan at all and in the USA Gameboy has so much marketshare that Nintendo could just release another Gameboy with backward compatibility and it would kill Sony in the same way Sony is killing everyone because they released PS2 with backward compatibility.
Sega Game Gear
So I need another console squashed thanks to advancing technology into a smaller space and now I should go hog wild over it.
One more word (if you can call it that): OQO
Wake me when someone ports BSD to it as has been done with the Sega Dreamcast.
If my grammar and spelling are off, I am [distracted/tired/careless] (take your pick)
40 GB of Memory Stick Duos is over $10K
A 1gb MS Duo is $110, so 40GB would be $4400. Sure it's a lot, but you are out by more than 100%. PSP is not an iPod, plenty of people use flash mp3 players with less than 1gb on them. It might not suit you, but it might suit others just fine.
I can get a portable DVD player, and have all my DVD extras (because I'm fairly certain all the bonus features I buy DVDs for won't be on UMDs), and not have to buy my movies all over again.
Or you can rip your exising DVDs to mp4, and watch them on your PSP for free, just like I do.
Sony really hopes that they can sell tons and tons of Memory Sticks.
Given that they overcharge for MS versus what others (like SanDisk) charge, I don't think they'll be selling many.
So, yeah, it's a gaming device
It's a FUCKING good gaming device. And you're right, that's what's important.
---- Den ene knappen er powerknapp, den andre er Bender voice knapp "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass"
Contemporary life in Japan
yeah...screw the iPod, get a Neuros!
"A truly wise man realizes he knows nothing."
Just picked up two units. One was a pre-order at EB, and one a walk in at Target. So far.. I am VERY impressed with sound quality, and aesthetics. Ridge Racer and Need for Speed Rivals look awesome.
:).
Very easy to use and comfortable grip. The screen is so high gloss/brite whatever. It makes you hesitant to breath on it though. So shiny..
Ok back to playing.
Check out my site for more reviews later. Nothing there right now
I work at Gamestop, and I can tell you that there is a lot more buzz about the PSP than there ever was about the DS. We had extras of the DS, we have plenty of them lying around now that we can't get rid of as a matter of fact. The PSP? Nope. First and second shipments, both reserved out. There's a lot more interest from consumers, and Sony has been hyping this (at least to the retail outlets) a lot less than Nintendo hyped the DS.
The other day I bought a snes controller from ebay, & a snes adapter. To be perfectly honest, the idea of reliving a bunch of *hard* hand/eye reaction platform games from 1996 got me a lot more excited than I was when I received the latest GTA clone (as great as that game is)...some games are designed for long hours in comfortable conditions (high res rpg's) - others are just quick, skillfull and fun. In an era where platform games are becoming extinct thanks to every console manufacturer bragging about their console being better soley on the basis of hardware specifications (before a games line is even released), I took solice in the fact that, as good as the latest armchair console gets, I could always go retro with some hardcore platform/strategy games (has bomberman even been ported to the X-box/PS2)??
This might not be such a good thing. There's no way I'd consider completing (and hence for that matter starting) half the games in my PS2 collection on a portable device.
"You know you don't act like a scientist, you're more like a game show host." Dana Barret
I was thinking the exact same thing, even last night. I didn't even know the thing was coming out until the guy in the next cube said something about it. I asked the price and he says "$250", and I almost spat out my coke. "WTF $250 for a portable? Hello TurboGraphix16!" That is until he brought his to work today. WOW. Seriously, like holding this thing is like being able to hold on of those fake portable electornic devices they always have on shows from the "near future". The screen on this baby is BEAUTIFUL. Try playing Metroid on the DS with its squinty little screen, then bust out Waverunner on the PSP and see which one is better. As for MP3 playing, well, I don't know. I think if you think of it as a game machine first and Mp3 player as an extra, it makes better sense. Movie playing I can see though. Yeah, its a second format, but I usually rent movies anyways. If blockbuster rents these I could easily see taking this on a trip and watching movies here. The picture quality is great, easily beats some dedicated portable DVD players costing as much. Bottom line: don't knock this sexy beast until you've actually used it.
PSPworld has a pretty good guide to the PSP.
umm, shacknews reviews it strictly as a gaming device, and it still comes out on top. the extras are just the frosting. and we all love frosting :)
? Pr oductCode=82531
but seriously, you can put any movie you want on a gigabyte memory stick, and considering there's always new music, I always preferred flash memory for mp3 players. I can play my favorites on my home stereo if I need to.
And I don't even know where the hell you pulled that stupid 40k figure out of. ZipZoomFly had a sandisk memory stick pro duo 1gb for 67 dollars a couple of days ago. I even got myself one. Too bad it's sold out now.
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp
I pwn this comment. "The Fine Print" says so.
Are the USERS old enough for it? After all, when the NES was hitting it big, most of the audience was pre-teen (though not all, of course). The audience of gaming consoles seems to have grown up with each subsequent system. People who buy systems are getting increasingly older, and I don't think that it's so much because a lot of the content appeals to older audiences, though that may drive some of the youngest players away. I think it's because it's the same generation of NES hardcores (and to a certain extent the 2600 generation) that have been the biggest buyers of systems.
There is obviously some bleed in the age around the edges, but it is my understanding that it's been roughly the same age group that's been following the gaming industry along all these years. If this is the case, a lot of these older gamers now have jobs. And $200 is a lot cheaper to a 20-something than a 13 year old with an allowance.
Especially since the PSP is capable of so much (music, videos, photos, etc), the older crowd that's been following for so long can now get a fancy new hi-tech device that serves a lot of their purposes. After all, why have an iPod, portable DVD player (I know it doesn't play DVDs), and a GameBoy when you can have all in one? Personally, I'm rooting for Nintendo, as I don't really care for all these extra bits (I just wanna play some games), but frankly I believe Sony's got the market on this now.
Finally, the system doesn't have to rely on excellent titles to make it work all the way, because they have some backup with the extra features included. And even so, we all know Sony's track record with title quality... Sorry Nintendo. It was nice knowing you.
Digital Sailor
Zookeeper (a game similar to Bejeweled) is on the Nintendo DS. Galaga is on the Game Boy Advance, and the DS plays all single-player games that work on a GBA SP.
Deja Vu.....
Can you keep your Nintindo fanboy posts in the thread you posted them, please?
"Nintendo has been doing it right for a decade and half, why should we think the PSP can just waltz onto the scene and take over?"
WTF? If MS had done to the PC what Nintendo did to the hand held gaming market, it would make the current and past antitrust cases look like a walk in the park.
remember the Sega game gear or the Atari Lynx?
Those other hand helds that are also dam close to a decade and a half old.. remember colour screens and the ability to watch TV on them(well i only remember the GG having a TV adapter but i never liked the lynx)
Imagine MS having held us back at Dos 5 for 10 long years as the default desktop OS, and Linux and Mac having systems of today to compete with Dos 5 and 386's, but still losing?
You have 5 Moderator Points!
Which Helpless Linux zealot/MS basher do you want to mod down today?
Greatings from Omaha, Nebraska.
I will preface this with I am a game nerd so I usually follow these launches with incredible interest. That said, this one was rather a dud here as you could still pick one up about 30 minutes ago.
This morning, the Best Buy stores here (of which there are two) started their day at 8:01 a.m. Seems they expected demand to be extremely high for this and planned accordingly. I have a friend that still works for one of the stores and he mentioned there was a line when he got in about 7 and it was about 10 long. I thought about being apart of that, but it has been raining all day and I had no interest in getting drenched.
This afternoon, I went to Gamestop to pickup a used Gameboy Advanced game and the store had about 5 that I could see, but they were set aside for pre-orders. The games, on the other hand, lined a section of shelves and their selection was good. I was surprised they hadn't been picked up yet, but the clerk said after the initial rush, things had really slacked off. Having the systems pre-ordered, I guess people weren't too motivated to get them right away.
Now, jump to about 30 minutes ago. I went to the Buy to pickup an actual Gameboy Advanced as a gift, and was shocked to see over 150 sitting on a table at the front of the store. Along with that, there was another 10 back in a special sales area just for the PSP. Boy, was I glad I didn't get in line this morning. Along these lines, they sounded like they were actually out of games, as a person was asking for one (which I couldn't hear) and they had to go into the back room to see if there were any drop shipments.
After all was said and done, I was surprised. I actually stood in line for a Gamecube some years back, and they sold out of those (now, they only had around 40 of those, mind you), so to see that many on the shelf after the media blitz that Sony put out kind of floored me.
Here's to hoping they are there tomorrow when I get my next paycheck....
Bryan R.
The price of freedom is eternal vigilance, or $12.50 as seen on eBay.....
I saw somebody with a PSP on the train the other day, and what really surprised me about it was its SIZE. Meaning, the thing is huge. Like, Atari Lynx huge. Like, four-iPod-minis-next-to-each-other huge.
It won't fit in your pocket.
Has Sony, in their zeal to put a large screen on their handheld (and I'll admit, the screen is pretty sweet-looking), missed the point that portable devices should be, well, portable?
The Nintendo DS seems to suffer from this same problem -- it's easily twice the size of a Gamebody Advance SP, which means it's half as portable. How much more size expansion will the "handheld" market tolerate?
I'd say the PSP is a _much_ better mp3 player than the iPod is a game machine. Sony isn't saying it's an iPod-killer, so get over it, already. It's a gaming machine that does other things, and that's cool.
Sony won't replace the unit (they already lose money on every unit) http://portable.joystiq.com/entry/1234000037037383 /
check the sig... and if that's not bad enough-- i didn't write the original. so i'm a real loser or a complete genius depending on your perspective.
I have a laptop. Why would I need a Playstation 2 that last slightly longer when unplugged?
Technically speaking, the PSP is a far superior machine to the Game Boy Advance or Nintendo DS
Yeah, whatever. The Game Gear is technically speaking a far superior machine to the Game Boy, as is the Atari Lynx. The Nomad is technically speaking a far superior machine to the Game Boy Color. Come to think of it every single handheld ever released by someone other than Nintendo has been technically speaking superior to whatever Nintendo was selling at the time. But the Nintendo system's always sold better, and frankly, except for the case of the Neo Geo Pocket Color the Nintendo system's always been the better buy-- as it is now.
Corporations somehow just don't get this. Technical superiority isn't what makes a handheld good. Portability is. Pretty polygons aren't a big deal if your total battery life goes down to two and a half hours on the wrong game, all the games have loading times, and you're always worried about the unit being unpaused or scratched up by your keys while it's in your pocket because the face is exposed.
I don't want my handheld to be a ps2 only smaller, with fewer games, and nearly twice the price. I want something portable.
You can encode your own movies on the PSP using the MSSW-IC2 software available from Sony. For any other accessories, you can visit here. You can find the 1GB Memory Stick there.
2D games like Guilty Gear X (and sequels)? Alien Hominid? DDRMAX? Contra: Shattered Soldier? Gradius?
(OK, at least with the last 2 they're rendered with 3D, but they're still 2D sidescrollers.)
Don't think of it as a flame---it's more like an argument that does 3d6 fire damage
Gamespot and IGN have had some great coverage, but I haven't seen any site do a hands on video like the one I saw at Pro-G. The video is about ten minutes long and looks at movie playback and four games. It also compares the PSP to the DS. It is well worth a watch.
That not Japan, looks like America to me. You are so stupid.
Uh... there's a ban on 2D? How does one explain the release of Capcom vs. SNK, Guilty Gear X2, and other 2D fighters for the PS2?
You'd have a point if every single portable gaming device ever made didn't rely on proprietary cartridges. I think your point about them trying to force an alternate media is completely invalid because there is no other mass market alternative.
If you wanna get rich, you know that payback is a bitch
Nintendo is announced a new Gameboy later this year. That's right, the DS isn't the official successor to the Gameboy. It remains to be seen how it will actual be improved over the previous Gameboy and DS, though I have a feeling Nintendo has rejected using optical discs for their portable systems due to load times (and as a result, more wear on the batteries).
Plus, there's been a huge game library built up for the past Gameboy systems, and I'm sure backwards-compatibility will, again, be built in. It's hard to be the huge library available. We shall see. I think this will be as popular as Sega's color handheld was back in the day (that damn thing even had a TV tuner, remember?). I saw a few people with one here and there on the schoolbus back then, and it was the technically better system, but for some reason, Nintendo's ugly green-and-black just won out.
does it run linux
I have a perfectly good mp3 player too, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't mind not lugging it around when I'm playing games. Extra functionality when implemented well can be a good thing.
Weirdly, I feel kind of depressed that Nintendo may lose their handheld market successes because of the PSP. That would be a death knell for Nintendo unless it can pull itself out of its slump with the upcoming Revolution and Gameboy successor.
Nintendo, it's time to knock one out of the park.
At $125 each, 40gb of Memory Stick Duos is actually only $5,000.
But, seriously, the PSP isn't meant for people who are going to be having 40gb of music. It isn't meant for people to backup their harddrive onto. Its meant for people to buy 2gb of memory and put some music on it, and fill the rest with movies. And when you're done with those movies and bored of those songs, you swap them out for new ones.
You can't really compare an iPod, a music-only device, to only the music function of the PSP. It would be like me saying the DS is way better than iPod because the games on the iPod suck.
By the way, you can reencode your DVDs down to 300mb each and play them from your Memory Sticks without having to buy a UMD.
I'm sorry but the grandparent obivously isn't in the target market. There are a tons of users out there who have $300 to spend on an IPod and would love something where they can game, play music, watch movies etc. No way one device can beat the best of every category, ie be better then and Ipod for music, be better than a whatever for gaming etc. That's just an unreasonable standard which nobody can realistically meet.
If you wanna get rich, you know that payback is a bitch
Is it me or is the PSP getting FAR more attenction then the DS did? I'll freely admit I'm a loyal Nintendo fan and don't trust Sony consoles as far as I can throw them (nice that they will work only a few years after I bought them.. saddly my PS2 doesn't and it doesn't seem uncommon). Yet I still have a perfectly fine NES, SNES and several brick GBs.. but it does seem the PSP is all over slashdot right now and it's all "The PSP is better because it has eye candy".. maybe a little one sided topics?
I like muppets.
Isn't it ironic that the icon next to the PSP article is an old-school gameboy?
Nintendo has been doing it right for a decade and half, why should we think the PSP can just waltz onto the scene and take over?
Speak for yourself. Nintendo's whole "more power doesn't make it more fun" is being taken way to seriously in my opinion. I don't know a guy out there with some real balls who doesn't like a nice 1920X1200 screen resolution with a 60FPS framerate.
Contra is done with 3D models so it doesn't count. Alien Hominid, Capcom vs. SNK, and DDRMAX were ports of successful games. I'm not familiar with the Guilty Gear series The point is that you're not going to get original games in the 2D sprite paradigm on the PS2 because of SCEA's retrophobic policy.
It seems somewhat crazy to think that the PSP could completely take over Nintendo's handheld market. From what it seems, the PSP is creating a new market of older people wanting a handheld console. Gameboys haven't really been too popular outside of the realm of children.
Power doesn't make a system. It's the games. Wasn't that the case with the Xbox until Halo came out? If they can make system that isn't annoying in terms of hardware, then it has a chance to take part of the market.
Although, the Sony fanboys should make sure it turns a profit.
PSPVideo9 converts any kind of video file to PSP format, making it a great dual purpose device.
"I'd rather use the PSP before I EVER think about buying an ipod."
And now you have this huge thing to lug around everywhere. My roommate picked one up today and it's neat (the graphics are great!) but as an MP3 player, no thank you. An iPod is REALLY small, especially compared to this thing. You can't fit this in a pocket well. Maybe a jacket pocket but things like song selection are simply cumbersome with the d-pad/buttons, etc (try going through 10,000+ songs!). It's large (for an MP3 player)and doesn't have the battery life and you have to buy the extra memory for the songs.
Sure, this does play MP3's but I would hardly call it an ideal device for it.
In the end, perhaps this suits your needs as you're not an aficionado of music it appears and want this thing for games and the occasional use for MP3's. Just don't try jogging with this thing or try bring a music collection with you anywhere you go.
This thing appears to have the potential to be a great portable gaming device but it's not a good MP3 player by the iPods standards. Try jogging with this thing, for instance.
As for movies, I'm willing to be Spider Man, that comes with it, will be the only UM movie you ever buy.
The only way I can rationalize this thing is buying it for what it is (as an above poster noted), not an MP3 player, not a movie player but a portable video game machine. (and one with no good games yet...waiting for GT!)
"If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer
Ah yes. Who can forget the Sony Playstation's handy defeating of the Atari Jaguar, the 3D0, the CD-I, and the Saturn? If Sony can outlast this guantlet, surely they can defeat anyone.
Wait, no, that isn't it at all. The only reason Sony got anywhere with the original Playstation was everything else at the time fucking sucked. The Jaguar and Saturn were jokes, the N64 wasn't what consumers wanted and only had like three good games max (all by Nintendo), and Nintendo was such a jackass in the mid 90s under the old CEO that nobody wanted to work with them.
Sony's takeover of the video game industry in the mid 90s and their capable defending since of the ground they took shows an enormous degree of business saavy. What it doesn't show is skill. Sony grabbed the market in the startling way they did less because of what they did right than because of what everyone else did wrong; all their competitors were either incompetent or, in Nintendo's case, incompetent and repulsive.
Well, the handheld and media player markets that Sony is trying to slip somewhere indeterminately between right now are a good bit different from the video game industry when the Playstation was released. The media player market is extremely rich right now, and on the video game side the PSP (unlike the Playstation) actually has a viable competitor; Nintendo is no longer particularly repulsive to developers, and they're even doing things lately that you could almost call competent, sometimes. Meanwhile, frankly, looking at the Playstation, the Playstation 2, and the PSP, the first two of these are just plain good products. The third... how shall I put this... seems to me rather lacking, and doesn't really seem to serve any utility at all unless you really want a Video iPod and don't mind spending lots of money on memory sticks. This seems likely to be a bit of a hard sell given alternative systems with a fair degree of quality really do exist.
I'll agree the person you quote is being silly; I don't think there's any reason to think that Nintendo can magically and eternally defend itself from all challenges to the Game Boy. But if you look at the products on the market right now... meh, I think it's pretty safe to say they can defend themselves against the PSP.
Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
"Sony's Playstation console has launched with great fanfare, and already there are plenty of places to get opinions and reviews. Shacknews has a nice hands on with the player itself, Gamespy has reviews of the launch titles, and Gamespot has coverage of just about everything on its PSP Launch Center page. From the Shacknews hands-on: "Technically speaking, the Playstation is a far superior machine to the Super Nintendo. It's a powerhouse device, capable of displaying modern graphics, playing robust sound, and can even replace a CD player. Nintendo has been doing it right for over a decade, why should we think the Playstation can just waltz onto the scene and take over? Can it even be done?"
I think we know how history played out...
my karma will be here long after I'm gone
Ha! I was about to say the same thing...
... And do it well!
The original Gameboy was a hit because it was great at playing games. Not because it had the best screen or because you could do stuff like listen to music or watch movies.
I haven't tried the DS or the PSP yet, but I think the one with the best games will win, not the one with the most more or less useless features.
Noise Is Music Podcast.
Or rather the recently redone NGage model? What about the NeoGeo Pocket Color? It seems like theres a new handheld every five years or so, but apparently most of us seem to forget that and imagine that Nintendo is unchallenged over the industry.
Look, unless there are deadly bees chasing me, and a voice booming out "Skate or DIE!," I'm just not impressed. :)
Maybe if MAME gets ported over... *sigh*
As opposed to Nintendo who merely keeps releasing the same games over and over and over again *cough* Mario, Yoshi, Metroid, Pokemon, etc. *cough*
I'm really not interested in getting one of these to play mini versions of ps2 games, but if someone figures out how to emulate NES & SNES games one without modding the thing, that'd be excellent. PSPMAME would be rad too.
Many people justify the PSP purchase with the promise of MP3's and movie playback but the reality is you should only buy this if you must have the latest and greatest in portable gaming. This system harkens back to the Turbo-Graphix 16 portable. It had amazing graphics, back-lit, played TV!! and tuned radio as well as using your original TG-16 games. This thing was killer and every hardcore gamer that had money (those that were 20+ generally) got one. It failed. Bad.
Some notable differences were that it was around $450.00 (I think...around there) and poor battery life. Also, the great things like portable TV and radio turned out to not be as great as everyone thought. If you even got the tuners.
The problem was the games were not there. Sure, it had a few hits, like Bonk and the other good TG-16 games, but games sell systems.
Right now the PSP has 0 must-have-games. GT will be out soon but nothing good really. I mean, don't kid yourself, the games are not worth the $250 + $50 + $40 * 2 + $30(warranty!!)= $410 + whatever other accessories you want.
If you're rich, go for it but I will not spend upwards of $500 for a system, memory, a few games and a warranty.
I'm going to take a wait and see approach to see if it gets cheaper and has better software. I guess I can get by for awhile without a portable game.
My roomate just got one today and it seems cool though. Ridge Racer is typical crappy race game launch and the Metal Gear Acid game seems like a joke. You get to *WATCH* Snake and friends walk around and you play cards?!?! WTF? WPT? He also got a Tetris thing but that made me think, if I got this thing to play Tetris I'd just as well pocket my money and grab the old Gameboy and play Tetris, ya know?
So, I'm going to learn from lessons past and wait maybe a year or so on this thing.
"If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer
You can get metal slug and now even Garou! There is Garou: Mark of the Wolves with online play mode for PS2 right now... what a moron.
Gameboys haven't really been too popular outside of the realm of children.
Not true. I suggest you go actually look up the demographic statistics of Game Boy purchasers sometime.
Meanwhile if you look at the reactions to the Nintendo DS in the media it's interesting to see that news sources that wouldn't normally be interested in a video game system-- sources for "older people", where "older people" means people who are actually older, not 22 year olds-- approached the DS in a new and an interesting light on its release. The DS's design is dignified and reminiscent of a PDA, its mechanics use a stylus, it can potentially run organizer software; people who might roll their eyes at a Playstation but happily play games on their cell phone or PocketPC seem likely to look at the DS in a new and different light than any previous handheld products. The PSP attracts much the same crowd as the Playstation 2-- people who were all already part of the video game market. The DS seems to hint at the ability to bring new people into the video game market in a way that the PSP doesn't.
Well, you don't waste Toy Story quality graphics on mere 2D flim-flammery.
Mother, do you think they'll like this sig?
While shacknews is unimpressed with the PSP this is the same thing they said about Xbox and look at it now.
Its a viable contender to the PS2, even though it was considered a joke and future failure at release.
not the rule.
Nintendo is announced a new Gameboy later this year.
No they haven't.
Nintendo has said that the DS-- what with, y'know, being bigger than a GBA, and having that touchscreen and the stylus and all-- is different from and not the replacement for the GBA, and they've said some kind of GBA 2 is coming, eventually.
But they have not given any timetable, announced any information about this GBA sequel except that it will someday come, or given us any indication what year they will be announcing it in.
I think you saw a slashdot story about a rumor and misinterpreted it as news.
Someone will come up with an adapter that plugs into the headphone jack that will allow you to skip/FF/RR/Pause songs and control the volume. Look at something like the RH-2 for the Zaurus C3000. With it you can keep the device in your pocket and control your music. And no differently, actually, than and ipod shuffle.
Game titles were on sell ~week or maybe *2 before PSP retail in the US. The hows and whys are about channel reasons. In short the retailers were allowed to sell games before they could sell the system.
I like to play GBA games on my DS and I still think 2 screens are better than one
Better go tell Evo2k they've been holding fighting tournaments for a 2D PS2 game that doesn't exist...
Sorry, but even that doesn't hold water and GGX is 2D and is original. It also doesn't cover the likes of RTK7 and RTK8, both fully 2D based games.
Ok, I have the second ver of the GBoy A with the fold screen and I just got my PSP. I lack a car so play games and mp3s on the bus to . I haven't yet taken the PSP on the bus but I can't personal see the controls being worst then the GBs and possable better then the click wheel on my ipod. The nub is a great little controler. I happen to like being in a story line on the bus, cause it helps me forgot that at 22 I am still on the $#@ thing. (I live in the sub urbers) The PSP could be smaller but I got to say I also have the MadCaz inlargin screen thing to see the screen on GB. My only problem with the PSP is that the remote earphones cord doesn't stay in very well...but as I'll be most of the time running the ipod for tunes I can't say it's a huge crime. Just because it's a feature doesn't mean you have to use it. *snicker*
Life is like untied shoe laces; it always tripping you up and getting in your way.
Personally, I think the PSP is a great idea, but definitely a game machine like everyone has been saying. Even if it gets any dominance, I don't think Nintendo has to worry. Every always says the N64 was a sorry machine, but have you seen how much profit Nintendo made off of that supposedly "dead" system? They make the profit because someone happens to buy all those pokemon games. They do have timeless games though so after a generation or two of systems, I'll definitely pick up both. A good game should be good years down the line
MP3s will last longer than games. A good rundown of the different times: http://psp.ign.com/articles/572/572563p1.html
--
Want a free iPod?
Or try a free Nintendo DS, GC, PS2, Xbox. (you only need 4 referrals)
Wired article as proof
And that will cost more money and create more mass. Great. You're starting to look like Shakes in that ATHF episode where he got every accessory for some portable thing. Simple is good.
"If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer
As geeks, I know we love to apply patterns to everything. But you can't just take one situation, switch the names in another situation, and claim they're the same. There are way too many external factors that affect outcomes of things. We all know how Nintendo shot itself in the foot and has been limping since. That has nothing to do with now because this is a new situation.
I could buy a PSP and a game... or I could spend the same amount on 18 additional games for my Gameboy Advance.
The PSP's screen is beautiful, and the analog controller is most welcome. I played a friend's briefly this morning, and I was very impressed. I held the screen close and felt immersed in the game environment in a way that I haven't ever experienced with a handheld. But I am not at all convinced that, on average, PSP games are more than twice as fun as GBA games (they are twice as expensive).
Portable gaming is different from console or computer gaming. Portable games need to be quick to start and quick to end. Good graphics and music help, but they are not nearly as important to the overall experience as they are on a console. Frogger's Adventures, Advance Wars, and even ports of old NES games such as Zelda and Metroid are excellent handheld games because you can get into them quickly, have fun, and put them down on short notice. The media experience isn't stunning, but it is sufficient, and the gameplay is compelling.
The Gameboy Advance SP is compact, rugged, and relatively cheap ($80). Games are also cheap ($15-20). The batteries last a long time. There is a nice backlight. It fits easily in a pocket and will probably survive the ensuing beating. The system is no longer cutting edge, but I contend that it is still the best all-around handheld gaming system out there, considering price, games, and overall fun.
Minor GBA gripe: why are the power connector and headphone jack on the same plug? You can't use headphones while you're on AC power. And why couldn't they include a normal headphone jack? I had to buy special headphones just for the GBA.
The Nintendo DS is just an atrocity. What were they thinking? Wireless multiplayer is nice, and the dual screens are neat in some cases (Advance Wars comes to mind), but otherwise the DS seems like an awkward frankentoy.
-John
I typically think Sony's products are unimpressive for the price. And the usability factors are occasionally terrible. Holy cow, am I am impressed by the PSP. This is the best thing to come along in gaming since 4-way paddles for the Atari 800.
Seriously though, I have spent the majority of the day playing games and I can't put the damn thing down. Even while checking slashdot.....
Actually, it comes with an inline control for the headphone jack, allowing you to skip tracks and control volume.
40 GB of Memory Stick Duos is over $10K... no thanks, I'll spend $400-$500 on an iPod first.
Even if you buy the iPod player instead of the Memory Stick media, Sony still makes its money. 40 GB can hold what, 800 CDs? How many of those are from Columbia Records or one of Sony's other labels?
Except no one would have ever said that. The Super Nintendo was five years old when the Playstation touched down in America and well on its way out. Meanwhile there was no question that one of the five or six cd-based video game consoles that were coming into being at about that time were "the future". The Super Nintendo was still selling surprisingly well for a console of its age at that point, but there was no doubt it was being replaced. And the Playstation was as much as a credible contender to be that replacement as anything else, if not more likely.
Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
It ownz. The screen is huge and beautiful. The unit looks nice and feels sturdy (not cheap like the DS), and the controls are all in the right place. The interface is very nice, and quite well-suited for navigating with a d-pad. So far, I'm very impressed.
:)
I can't wait for the web-browser update. If writable data UMDs ever come out, I can replace my PDA and my iPod
A deep unwavering belief is a sure sign you're missing something...
Great, but lets say you have 10,000 songs you want to scroll through qucikly. This doesn't helpso you have to go to the system. Enjoy scrolling around. The iPods touch wheel is great for this and things like the Dell DJ just don't compare. This serious flaw shows through.
Now granted the PSP isn't just an MP3 player, it's not much of an issue. But it still means it's another reason it is a poor MP3 player that is gigantic and heavy and doesn't hold many songs...or have good battery life...yeah.
"If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer
Skipping tracks is not a way to navigate a large music collection. Thankfully you don't have to worry about that since buying enough Memory Sticks to hold a large collection is prohibitively expensive.
Support the First Amendment. Read at -1
Nice job using CTRL+C and CTRL+V on my post from the last article, and getting yourself modded up, Karma Whore.
I walked into a CompUSA this morning and the guy at the help desk just looked at me with a "oh Cr@p" look and asked me if I was there for a PSP.
You wouldn't believe how relieved he was when I said I wasn't.
Speaking is NOT communication
I bought one five minutes after they launched here in northern Colorado.
I love it, it's beautiful. It feels EXTREMELY solid, mine only had ONE dead pixel, and it's dead on, not dead off which doesn't seem that distractive.
The volume is surprisingly loud via the speaker.
The UI is the most ingenius GUI ever, reminds me a little of the Danger Sidekick's GUI.
Best Buy had a line setup and a large quantity of these . . . I don't think they'll sell out too quickly here.
Oh . . . I almost forgot. I gotta PSP, mwaaa, mwahahah, mwaaaahahahhahahah.
Yeah, my post sucks . . . but heh, ever since I said I hate microsoft in my sig, I've been modded down anyway. Guess when it comes to Slashdot's biggest source of funding you shouldn't talk smack!
"Sony has no experience in console gaming. Nintendo has been doing it right for a decade and half, why should we think the PSX can just waltz onto the scene and take over? Can it even be done?"
They should be looking for the next tetris.
I tried The Next Tetris for PlayStation and The New Tetris for N64. I liked The New Tetris better. They have since been bundled as part of the horrid Tetris Worlds. But if you really want good Tetris, try a homebrew version.
It seems from everything I'm seeing that the PSP and the DS aren't really in the same league with eachother. The DS was taking the notion of a game boy and evolving it slightly. The PSP is taking the notion of a PS2 and making it portable. The PSP ain't cheap, but it's a serious gaming powerhouse where as the DS is merely okay with a few gimmicks tossed in.
I think Sony rightly figured out that if they can get all these folks to drop $200-250 on a console, they could get them to drop that kind of money on a portable if the portable was good enough. A reasonable person could buy a PSP as their game playing device of choice instead of a PS2.
This sig has been temporarily disconnected or is no longer in service
LOL SHUTUP Ensign timeshit
There is officially some sort of restriction on 2D games. SNK couldn't get Metal Slug released on the PS2 because of this. The 2D games that do make it onto the PS2 are do to a bending of that rule not proof that it doesn't exist.
Having seen it in action first hand finally, it's a game system. The price you pay is for the gaming abilities.
The DS does other stuff too, chat being one of the big ones they talk about. The GBA and DS also do video, but I've never heard of anything longer than 30 minutes being stuffed into the cartridges, and it's all animated. But the DS is a gaming system. You're buying a gaming system to play games. Sure, it can chat, but chat isn't worth the price.
The GameGear could tune TV stations with an addon. For that matter, the N-Gage can play video games.
You're paying for a video game system. You're paying for games. That's pretty much it. It's a strong system, it's got strong titles behind it from the early looks, and it's got an upcomming release list that puts the DS's to shame.
It costs more, but that extra cost isn't for movies or music by any means.
"However, many of its launch titles are just watered-down versions of PS2 games and Sony has no experience in portable gaming..."
Watered down versions of the previous console... Now where have I heard that before? Wait, it's coming to me... YOU MEAN LIKE EVERY FREAKIN GAME IN THE NINTENDO LIBRARY ??? Look, I enjoy fanboy bias as much as the next guy, but lets try not to make it so blatantly obvious. And lest we forget that Sony didn't have any console experience prior to the PS1 either, an event that has marked a steady decline in Nintendo marketshare to this very day. Please. These contrived talking points are absolutely meaningless, especially when compared to what Sony has done with their virgin hardware to date. Yes, it can be done, if for no other reason because they've already done it.
You need a FREE iPod Nano
Check it out, if you just flick the power switch on your PSP, it will go into sleep mode. The game pauses and your PSP turns "off". Flick it again and it comes back up where you left it.
This is a godsend for RPGs. If you're on a road or plane trip and you need to say, go to the bathroom or hitch a cab, you can leave it off for a long time and not worry about it.
Some GBA games did this, and the DS sorta does this, but the PSP seems to have it built right into the hardware.
Slashdot. It's Not For Common Sense
Is it at all possible to copy UMD games?
I wonder how mods will work on this system...
We have secretly replaced these Slashdot mods' sense of humor with a rusty nail. Let's see if they notice!!
The first major PSP update is said to include:
p _u pdate_leak/
Web-browser
Email client
word processor
spreadsheet program
3 games
calculator
automatic software updating
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/17/sony_ps
There is a follow up article where Sony confirms this update but tells users to wait till officially released.
sure, but how many 1-D games have you seen?
why should we think the PSP can just waltz onto the scene and take over?
er, because sony did it a decade ago with the playstation?
The GBA and DS also do video, but I've never heard of anything longer than 30 minutes being stuffed into the cartridges, and it's all animated.
Actually, you can by catridges with a full length Pokémon episode on it.
There are 2 kinds of people in this world: Those who write in decimal and those who don't
Now that I think of it, though, my boss has two of them on his desk and two more in boxes on the floor. Talk about compensating...
Attack its weak point for massive damage!
What I don't get is why people aren't up in arms about the battery life. I own a DS and I get some 10-12 hours (with wifi about 20% of the time) off a single charge. PSP reports 3-5 hours on average (no wifi, no movies). And trust me, it's great when you don't have to worry about charging your portable system every chance you get. Imagine if the ipod had a killer battery life of 3-4 hours. There would be complaints non-stop. So when was it okay for a portable gaming unit to have less than 4 hours of battery life? Or maybe the 4.3 inch screen is just too captivating and everything else is ignored...
- Ridge Racer : This game is an awesome arcade racer. The multiplayer is terrific. The graphics are practically PS2 quality.
- Lumines : This game is the puzzle game I've been pining for for years. And it's drop-dead beautiful.
- Metal Gear Acid : A tactical/strategy game? Metal Gear Franchise? Card-based mechanics that don't suck? I may not be as eloquent of Tycho about strategy games, but I'll still try to say what I feel: Gimme! GIMME NOW!
You may not like these games, but I sure do. Ridge Racer is a high quality racer with fun multiplayer that's also on a handheld! What more do you want from a racer? Whatever it doesn't give you, NFS:R will.Metal Gear Acid is an awesome strategy game. You know, strategy? Where you have to think? Occasionally?
And for puzzles, which are a big portable genre, Lumines is a big deal. It's fast, fun, has a good multiplayer, has a good soundtrack, looks good, and has good short-session playability.
You can wait as long as you like, and that's prudent. But don't assume these titles aren't must-have just because you don't like the genres. For anyone who's into these kinds of games, the PSP has some kickass titles.
Slashdot. It's Not For Common Sense
I've heard of a hacker getting games running on the chip/LCD of a digital camera. What great things must be possible with the PSP!
First hack I'd like to see: a way of using something other than Sony's MemoryStick cards.
Second hack: Linux.
The local EB said they hadn't sold one in a month. My friend owned one, we all played with a collective "eh". Underpowered, with minimal third party support and a dual screen gimmick that looks much better on paper than execution. The PSP, on the other hand, is really cool. "Watered down ps2 titles?" Better than watered down N64 titles, that's for damn sure. Nintendo is fast on its way to being a software developer. They show a complete lack of interest or understanding of the older (re: older than 13) market, and keep trumping out the same franchises with slight tweaks.
My good looks paid for that pool, and my talent filled it with water.
Umm, someone allready did. The PSP comes with a remote just like the iPod's. So you can do all the ipod-remote things, like fast-forward, skip back, raise the volume, etc... I haven't tried using it yet though.
As for the interface, it's not as elegant as the scroll wheel, but it does have an analog stick, which will make it possible to make a reasonable if not award-winning experience.
My concern is more with memory capacity.
Slashdot. It's Not For Common Sense
Surely it does. The PSP's specs actually slightly exceed that of the PS2, and the PS2 can emulate most of those late 90's games-with some exceptions relating to devices, of course.
But remember, emulating those old games is much easier on a portable because the screen, large and beautiful as it is, is still smaller. You can get away with less detail and let more things slide because people just won't be able to notice. Much like the free anti-aliasing effect consoles enjoy when displayed on televisions.
Oh, and I've talked to someone with a PSP developer kit. Heresay, so take it with a grain of salt, but by all accounts the PSP developer experience is not the painful ordeal that PS2 development is.
More powerful, more portable, better networking, AND easier to code?
Slashdot. It's Not For Common Sense
The PSP release titles are considerably better than what the DS has to offer still. It's actually quite sad how slowly the DS titles are appearing.
However, I'd argue about the upcoming list. There are significantly more titles in the works for the DS than the PSP. Compare here:
DS:http://www.gamesarefun.com/gamesdb/platform.ph
PSP: http://www.gamesarefun.com/gamesdb/platform.php?p
The Nintendo DS seems to suffer from this same problem -- it's easily twice the size of a Gamebody Advance SP, which means it's half as portable. How much more size expansion will the "handheld" market tolerate?
I don't know... I've got a DS and it's weight and size is just fine to me (especially since it folds up). Certainly it doesn't fit in my pocket (though it'll slide into my jacket just fine), but... then again, something as small as my old Game Boy Color was a bit of a tight squeeze anyway (I'd be too afraid of damaging it from sitting or bumping into things, not to mention just looking dumb with this huge rectangular lump sticking out of my side). Plus if it did get any smaller by chance, I can't say it would be as great of an enjoyable experience if I ended up having to squint to see a screen any smaller than the Game Boy Color's (the DS' screens are just fine, I think) or having my two thumbs just a half or whole inch apart when it came to handling the controls.
Likewise though, yes... I believe having a portable gaming unit grow any larger or heavier does defeat the purpose of portable gaming (though I myself have not yet seen or held a PSP in person as of yet).
..we all love frosting
;)
I can't have frosting as I'm a diabetic, you insenitive clod!
"Our opponent is an alien starship packed with atomic bombs. We have a protractor."
Until they "get with it" and offer a browser for this $250 toy, I'm not even going to think about getting it. They could have hit a grand slam if they would have offered this out of the box... instead they hit a home run. Sigh.
Okay, Sony. I've got $300 with your name on it. Gimme a new Final Fantasy game and it's all yours.
Game... blouses.
What was the name of this story again???
Fuck Off, You Referal Spammer!
Nintendo has a hard time producing games that appeal to people over the age of 12. Sure, there are a few, but not many.
I have a GBA, and I find it really frustrating how few good games there are that don't involve Italian plumbers, cutesy animals, or anime characters with big eyes talking in speech bubbles. (Yes, I have Advance Wars thanks.)
Sony has more games I want to play in the launch lineup, than I own GBA games. I see myself buying a PSP and selling the GBA once I finish with Advance Wars.
GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
I picked up my PSP in an impulse buy this evening after seeing the thing playing a movie on display. It has an absolutely beautiful screen. So I asked if I could exchange it if I got home and found any dead pixels and was told that if there was even one dead pixel I could take it back anytime within the 90 day warranty and get a replacement (this was at my local wal-mart). So I bought one with Lumines.
But as soon as I got my wi-fi connection set up and popped in Lumines to play someone online...there's no one out there. Has anyone played a game online yet? If so, what game and how did it play (lag wise)?
Other than being let down by no one being online, I love this little thing so far.
-my other sig is your mom
By the way, you can reencode your DVDs down to 300mb each and play them from your Memory Sticks without having to buy a UMD.
Unless Sony's motion picture arm (and the rest of the MPAA) have their way....
Sound just like was we were all saying at the orginal Playstation Launch. If it shows a leap forward to what people are use to people will buy it. But if you have to worry about game disks flying out at a moments notice then they have problems. I'll have one by this summer for sure though.
And that's what I think.
So, I fronted the cash for my son to get a PSP today (he's going to work it off doing his grandmother's lawn over the summer) - and I immediately configured his WiFi access for him.
But other than getting a "connection test succeeded" the wireless didn't seem to matter at all. No web browsing, not even a special "preview channel" to let Sony dump game trailers into his machine.
The tech is absolutely incredible, but they don't seem to be doing much with it yet.
Clear, Dark Skies
Out of the 200 units we received on Tuesday, 30 have sold.
From Lumines as I write this. Had untold legends in - woo woo LVL 10!!! - and feel fairly confident in my decision to wait out for the psp. The GBA will still be used (unless.. Advance Wars on the psp - Gahhhhh....) but other than that, it will be relagated to backseat duty.
Physics is nothing like religion. If it was, we'd have an easier time trying to raise money!
Tell you what... if there was ever another 2d version of sonic the hedgehog ... id buy it. Its my all time favorite side scroller. not the 3d garbage theyve been putting out recently tho
What I meant to say is that the market could become flooded with only poor quality third party games
Don't buy them. With more games, at least you have that choice.
Have you collected all 3 Sonic Advance titles?
This thing is incredible, exactly how it should be: powerful, functional, elegant... extremely well executed. Here's hoping game developers take advantage of this platform, most importantly the 16 player wireless capability! Off to play some more Metal Gear Acid. : )
I was just playin' around w/the slashdupe. I had to pick a good post that got modded up. It was only a matter of time before somebody figured it out and as you can see the net effect on my karma was anything but positive. You had a great post so I figured it had the best chance of doing what I wanted. I hope you are not too upset. I even threw in the deal on dupes into my sig. Can't take ourselves too seriously around here.
It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
Nintendo has been doing it right for a decade and half, why should we think the PSP can just waltz onto the scene and take over? Can it even be done?
...do you read penny arcade?
#hostfile 0.0.0.0 primidi.com 0.0.0.0 www.primidi.com 0.0.0.0 radio.weblogs.com
Mr Steve Fiocco, 'President of Video games Plus' should proofread a little better before delivering his warnings...
Pokemon is a 30 minute show...
The PSP will do well, but I have high doubts that it'll topple the Gameboy, or even the DS, and it's all in what I've personally seen.
Where I work in the past three months a grand total of 10 people that I know of have purchased the DS. It's worth noting that NONE of them have ever owned a Gameboy, and most of them have never owned any game machine at all.
I of course buy every game machine, and always have. But I've been blown away not so much that other people at work have been bringing them in but rather, so many non-gamers have been.
I used to be the lone person at the break tables with a GBA. Now there are non-stop competitions, sometimes extending our breaks way longer than they need to.
I highly doubt I'll see that kind of success out of the PSP.
"Everything you know is wrong. (And stupid.)"
Moderation Totals: Wrong=2, Stupid=3, Total=5.
this account, with "n00b" written all over it, considering it's in the 700Ks and you're posting from score:1 by default
I turn off karma bonus by default because bonus tends to draw Offtopic mods for legitimate tangents. This was true of my old account as well. Besides, wouldn't posting on the old account lead to a "Give It Up Cowboy!" error message for trying to go past 9,999 comments?
I got my PSP a while ago. From a new battery, minimum screen brightness (still very bright, though), headphones at half volume, I could play Ridge Racers (Ridge Racer in the US) for just over 5 hours. I think I've been able to get just over 6 with Lumines and Puyo Pop Fever under the same conditions. I haven't tried music or video, because my memory stick is too small for video (256mb) and I have a 20gb mp3 player.
-ReK
md5sum -c reality.md5
reality: FAILED
md5sum: WARNING: 1 of 1 computed checksum did NOT match
Cause it's a ripoff :] I might be slightly of topic here, but why did Nintendo create the DS anyway? IMHO, it will seem like excessive, misplaced marketing to business analysts, a curiosity to hardcore gamers and the "finger" to consumers, who have only just brought a GBA. Resources spent to develop games for the DS could have been used to strengthen the market lead of the GBA, in the face of a technically superior competitor. Now Nintendo have fragmented their own market... and a fragmented market, is also an open one. Such conditions can be ideal for such a well thought out consumer product, like the PSP...
Ok then, how about this cartridge with two Pokémon episodes. That's like 44 minutes.
There are 2 kinds of people in this world: Those who write in decimal and those who don't
OK, I am sick and damn tired of hearing all these nintendo FUDboys bashing Sony for using UMD (a proprietary Sony format) WTF do you think Nintendo has been doing with every single game console they have made up to GC?!?!?! they all use proprietary formats, have you ever seen a movie on a GC disc? what about on a SNES cartridge? Oh, I know, they are releasing movies on NDS carts right? Nope, just games, and you can't write to them either?!?! Well, their console/handheld/whatever is gonna fail because they use proprietary formats and blah blah blah. Just STFU!!!!!! NDS and PSP do no compete directly, PSP is cool, yet flawed, NDS is cool, but flawed. Buy both, Buy neither, who cares, just don't trash the other because you are stupid.
Well, the main thing I have a problem with is that EVERYONE on this damn site is more fanboyish for the ipod than any sony fanboy is for the psp. WHY the ipod? It's a pile of shit. It costs 150% of any other player with the same capacity and its really annoying to use. The PSP can play games. It can also play movies, mp3s, and photos. I would also rather have a flash-based player for jogging. You know, shock isn't good for HDDs. So, the ipod would probably be a bad idea for jogging anyway.
-SaNo
Actually, exempli gratia is "for the sake of an example". If you're going to do it, might as well do it all the way.
You are correct.
:)
However, I'm low on sig characters. Really low. I can't fit that in. So I took "for example" because it gets the point across.
Slashdot. It's Not For Common Sense
Well, the problem with homebrew PSP games is that Sony is the only one who can make UMD disks. This is kind of a cramp on the style.
But, there is a ray of light. The PSP can execute from the memory card. Sure, you need a pretty big stick to hold a good game, but it's doable.
So right there it's far more friendly than the DS or GBA to indie work. Also, add in the fact that games aren't region coded, and I can't help but wonder if this is one of Sony's secret plans.
Slashdot. It's Not For Common Sense
Have you ever played a Game Gear? I still have mine. The screen is not washed out (Unless the contrast was set wrong or you were looking over someone's shoulder. You know how LCD screens are...), the blurring was "only" as the original Game Boy (I still have mine,) and it did not overheat.
The battery life did suck. You got about 4 to 5 hours on six AA batteries, which also made it quite heavy. Without the batteries in it, is already weights about as much as my DS (Slightly less.) With batteries, I'd say it weighs about twice as much.
I think the games were pretty good. Not as many as the Game Boy, but Fantasy Zone Gear, Sonic Triple Trouble, Tails' Adventures, Super Columns, and Samurai Shodown kept me happy, along with others. I still use my Game Gear.
I own a Nintendo DS, but I have to say that the backward compatibility wasn't a big selling point for me. Up til now, I haven't felt a need to own a portable gaming system. (Well, I flirted with owning an Atari Lynx back in grad school, because I got one used for a great price... but that was given away a long time ago.) The DS seemed cool and innovative to me, and the few titles that are out there for the system seem to utilize the touchscreen to varying degrees. It's a fun little system. However, my girlfriend has a lot of old GameBoy and GameBoy Color games, so when I gave her the choice between a DS and a GBA SP, she chose the GBA SP. The DS won't play those older games.
The backward compatibility of the DS is only a compelling feature if you have a library of GameBoy Advance games. I can't imagine someone going out to buy a Nintendo DS and then buying a bunch of GBA games for it -- if you're going to do that, why not just save yourself a chunk of change and buy the GBA SP instead? Considering also that multiplayer GBA games won't work in multiplayer mode on the DS (since Nintendo unwisely decided not to support the link cable or emulating one using the DS's WiFi), I'd say that feature is of limited utility.
...was that Sony's marketing has traditionally targeted older gamers, whereas Nintendo's marketing has traditionally targeted younger gamers, especially children. As you correctly point out, Sega's marketing was geared for a slightly older and "hipper" crowd than Nintendo's -- we all remember the Sega ads around the time of the Genesis, right? "Sega does what Nintendon't!" -- but in my opinion, Sony pushed the envelope and attracted people in their mid-20's, something even Sega never really managed to do in great numbers. Yes, such games geared toward an adult audience appeared on the PC long ago, but we're talking about console gaming. Console gaming is a much bigger market than PC gaming is, even today. Dedicated game consoles have traditionally been viewed as the purview of kids and teenagers, not 20-somethings fresh out of college. When Sony entered the picture, the gamer demographics definitely changed.
It might be giving Sony too much credit to say they invented the market for adult games, but they do deserve some credit for exploiting this demographic better than almost anyone else. Look at the title line-up for the PlayStation and PS2, and tell me what percentage of titles are geared at young kids? It's a small number. Yeah, the Saturn had some titles for mature gamers, but the system didn't predate the PlayStation by that much, and Sega definitely wanted their system to have broad appeal to gamers of all ages.
Like it or not, Sony was a pioneer in this area.
Bought the psp today, paid 341 or so for it with tax. it was the bundle that sam's is selling.
got it home, put in the UMD with spiderman 2 on it. after about 5 seconds, it hangs.
so i reset it, start playing the movie again, but this time i fast forward the movie before it can play normally..i just picked a random spot to stop fast forwarding..so it plays. after about 5 seconds, once again, it freezes/hangs.
ok, so I'm like 'hmm this must be a bad UMD". I pull out the demo UMD that came in my bundle. same thing, after about 5 seconds it hangs.
so I call Sony, they say 'ya we've been getting reports of bad UMD drives'
great. Now I need to exchange this for another. hopefully it will be one without a defective UMD drive..unfortunatly, sam's is sold out.
excellent.
Just like to take a minute and thank all you early adapters. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be able to buy my PSP with better battery life, guaranteed no dead pixels, and an included 10 GB drive in about a year or so. You're the ones who are financing it -- so keep it up! Thanks!
in girum imus nocte et consumimur igni
Reason to buy a PSP, the technically superior handheld, is a game you could easily play on a GBA....
oookkkkkk....
Lumines, Metal Gear Card Battler, and a bunch of sports games. All with Sony MEGA-AWESOME build quality! I think I'll hold off for a while.
The key to the enjoyment of pop music is to replace any instance of "love" with "C.H.U.D."
The parent is in no way, shape, or form a fucking TROLL.
It's a fucking question. How is a question a troll?
However, many of its launch titles are just watered-down versions of PS2 games and Sony has no experience in portable gaming. Ridge Racer is a whole new game. Wipeout is a whole new game. Twisted Metal is a whole new game. Each of these are true sequels with tons of new content. You can't get these games on the PS2. So what if they are based on older franchises? Since when does that matter. No one complained when Nintendo brought M64 over to the DS.
I just had a revelation when I went to BestBuy today If I was to buy a PSP I would get next to nothing... or I could walk into BEstbuy and buy a Playstation 2 and a 5" LCD Screen and an AC/DC converter for my car and have multiplayer fun in the car for the price of 1 PSP... the screen would be larger the unit as powerful and the games more plentiful I would have no reason to worry about my Square button and wouldn't have to pay for UMD cards to save your games... maybe it's just me but I think that I'm gonna do that and not pick up a piece of hardware that If I drop I'm gonna have a good chance of killing my game...
Where's that cap to the Decanter of Endless water???