State Of The Handheld Industry 2005

Jack writes "The State of the Handheld Industry 2005 is back. The yearly feature includes roundtables with journalists and handheld developers. A report by GCAdvanced indicates that this year it is a 4-day feature at Nintendo Insider. The developer roundtable is already up. It talks about not only the GBA, DS, and PSP, but the Gizmondo, N-Gage, and mobile phone gaming. GCAdvanced also reports there is an interview with Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan. Although she seems to dodge some questions, it gives new information about the Game Boy Micro faceplates and Nintendo DS online with the Wi-Fi connection." To provide some first hand opinions, The Game Chair has a piece on the meaning behind handheld gaming.

Comments

Xbox

[turtled]

Good thing there isn't a portable Xbox... man, that thing would weigh like 10 lbs. =)

Re:Xbox

[NanoGator]

"Good thing there isn't a portable Xbox... man, that thing would weigh like 10 lbs. =)"

Good thing there isn't a portable Linux machine, man that thing would have to have a 101 key keyboard. =)

This joke's easy to make. :P

Re:Xbox

[torpor]

my portable linux machine has a 37-key keyboard ... but i don't use it much. easier to just ssh to it when i need to type something... ;)

Re:Xbox

[Anonymous Coward]

Good thing you don't have a vagina for a head, or you'd post dumb shit like:


Good thing there isn't a portable Linux machine, man that thing would have to have a 101 key keyboard. =)

This joke's easy to make. :P


Oh wait.

Re:Xbox

[Anonymous Coward]

"Good thing you don't have a vagina for a head, or you'd post dumb shit like:"

Yeah because the XBOX joke was soOOOOoo much better. Face it: You both would get your ass kicked by Bob Saget.

Re:Xbox

[Anonymous Coward]

Good thing there isn't a portable Linux machine, man that thing would have to have a 101 key keyboard. =)

I'd rather control it over ssh, thank you very much.

Re:Xbox

[apoc06]

there is a portable xbox. its called: 'any laptop running windows2000'.

The state is bleak

[rAiNsT0rm]

It truly is bleak right now with these two lack-luster offerings (I'm not even dignifying the Ngage) The PSP and DS are flops in my eyes, and aparently a lot of others' because the GBA is still outselling them. No one wants an expensive, delicate portable game system... especially one with so few games available of any quality or substance as the PSP and DS. Lumines, Nintendogs, Electroplankton, etc. are just not killer apps.

Honestly, these two systems have been out for some time now with no major titles to carry them and none in the foreseeable future. A true shame.

Re:The state is bleak

[ZephyrXero]

Yeah, I'm not really excited about either like I was when the GBA came out...then again, Nintendo said that the DS was supposed to be seperate from the Game Boy line so maybe we'll see a new one next year?

However...that trampoline mini-game on Mario DS almost makes me want to buy one ;P

Re:The state is bleak

[Anonymous Coward]

If a system surpasses 10 Million units sold in it's first year it can hardly be called a flop; and the Nintendo DS looks like it will surpass that point.

What is really holding back both systems right now is that there are dramatically less games being made for them due to the larger cost of development; the Gameboy and Gameboy advance could have a development team of 4-12 people, the PSP in comparison is 20-40 people.

Re:The state is bleak

[FidelCatsro]

I can honestly say the Nintendo DS was my best handheld purchase since the Gameboy colour .
(I would say the GBA , but since the DS has all the advantages (bar of course the old GB compat) of the GBA i am smitten .
I also own a PSP i imported from japan(which i do also love , but it has functioned as a mobile simpsons episode viewer more than a game console(though Metal gear acid rules and im awaiting GTA VSC stories))

Re:The state is bleak

[jclast]

If Nintendo really wanted to separate the GameBoy line from the DS, then why is the DS capable of playing GBA games?

Re:The state is bleak

[psychopsybin]

The gba support was added as an afterthought according to Iwata. I really think the gba support was thrown in just for the added value. I have an orignal (non-sp) gb:a and a few games. Part of the descision making when purchasing the DS was that I could play those games with a backlit display. When people talk about the games for the ds, you always think about how it can play the seemingly unlimited supply of gba games, which are still being manufactured btw. I think thats the main reason they say what they do about the nDS being seperate from the gba, they want to be clear that they still support the gba and production of such games.

Re:The state is bleak

[Anonymous Coward]

I bought a DS recently. I didn't have a GBA, but play a lot of GBA games via emulation. Advance Wars 2 and Warioware are what made me want to go buy one, even though they are GBA games. I've picked up three DS games: Meteos, Warioware Touched, and Kirby.

Gotta say, I'm pretty happy with it. I haven't had a handheld since the original Gameboy. I'll probably get a flash cart sooner or later. Used GBA games are still pretty steep for some reason.

Re:The state is bleak

[rAiNsT0rm]

Heh, and you think high development costs on a portable system are hindering game development... wait for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Development costs and timeframes have never been even close to this magnitude. These "next-gen" consoles are going to have the smallest libraries ever. I've been saying it all along and people keep claiming otherwise... we'll see soon enough.

Re:The state is bleak

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't doubt that at all, but the real disapointing thing is that the Gameboy and Gameboy Advance were excelent places for a small companies (ie. start-ups). This may be the death of the indie-developer as we know it; about the only way I can see indies surviving is if Nintendo (or the other console manufacturers) creating a 'virtual platform' (ie. emulate old crappy hardware) for indie developers to create games for. Many people may not want to play old-school 2D or simple 3D games, but if a developer produced an interesting enough game it would probably give them enough of a boost to keep going.

Just to throw numbers at the idea:

If 5% of console owners would be interested in paying a nominal fee (ie, $10 or less) to download a less-than graphically impressive independent game (ie. game produced at a graphical quality slightly better than that of the SNES or N64) then if the Revolution had a similar user base to the Gamecube (20 Million give or take) you would have ~1 Million potential customers; if the developer got 1/4 the money and you assumed an average cost of development in the 250,000 range they would only have to sell 100,000 copies to break even.

The numbers are far too optimistic but I think they demonstrate the general concept; if only a small portion of the small portion of users that are willing to pay a small fee for a independant game buy your game, you could still have a very profitable company.

Re:The state is bleak

[rohlfinator]

"No one wants an expensive, delicate portable game system..."

I can't speak for the PSP here, but I've dropped my DS off a 6' dresser, ejecting the cartridge, and it's no worse for wear, save for a small nick on the outer casing. I've been carrying it around with me for the past month, and it's continued to function as well as it always has. The DS is hardly "delicate".

As for the games, they're coming. If you remember, the GBA had a pretty lackluster launch as well, but its backward compatibility helped sell units for a while. And unlike the GBA, developers will need a little more time to get used to the DS and PSP. The PSP is almost a miniature console, so former GBA developers are having to deal with 3D graphics, disc input, WiFi, and heavier battery consumption. The DS's new features like the touchscreen, microphone, and WiFi introduce a completely new standard for games, making it a lot harder for developers to simply port older titles or make cookie-cutter sequels.

But this holiday season seems to be the first big wave of titles for both consoles. The DS has Metroid, Advance Wars, Nintendogs, and a wave of WiFi games like Mario Kart and Animal Crossing. The PSP will see the new GTA, Madden, and Infected, to name a few. If you can't see anything you like in the remaining 2005 lineup, maybe handhelds aren't for you.

Re:The state is bleak

[rohlfinator]

The GBA port can also be used for expansions, like a rumored rumble pack for Metroid Pinball and an extra song cart for Band Bros. in Japan. The DS needed another port for this kind of stuff anyway, since normal DS cards are way too small to hold things like gyroscopes or motors. It only makes sense to have the expansion slot double as a second game slot, especially since GBA support has been a big draw for the first few months of the DS's lifespan.

Re:The state is bleak

[Anonymous Coward]

I can't speak for the PSP here, but I've dropped my DS off a 6' dresser, ejecting the cartridge, and it's no worse for wear, save for a small nick on the outer casing. I've been carrying it around with me for the past month, and it's continued to function as well as it always has. The DS is hardly "delicate".

I'll one up that and say that the DS is quite possibly the most durable system to date. One of the members at a forum I frequent had pictures of his DS working (despite having cracked and broken casing) after having been in a fire in his apartment.

Furthermore, we have our lovely trip up Mount Everest in which they brought ten DS's because they expected some to break. All 10 DS's survived, no worse for the wear.

Re:The state is bleak

[rAiNsT0rm]

Sure, two massive easily scratched screens doesn't make it delicate at all. Just because *closed* your DS took ONE fall and survived they must be built like heavy-armor tanks. oh, and all the delicate electronics in the PSP must also be able to handle small-arms fire too.

Put a GBA and either a PSP or DS up against each other and see which one lasts. Your a fool to think either new portable is more durable. Hinges, large screens, delicate optical drives, yeah I must be crazy to think the way I do.

Re:The state is bleak

[rAiNsT0rm]

Flamebait?!? Because I clearly stated my opinion on the matter of the new portables... hrmm, I guess if a totally solid opinion backed with fact is flamebait then just about everything on Slashdot is too. To all those who state Nintendogs is the DS killer app, I never said *I* didn't enjoy it nor did I say it wasn't selling units overseas... what I was stating is that here in the States at no retail outlet is Nintendogs flying off the shelves especially a new DS and Nintendogs in the same bag. Take the fanboy goggles off (I love Nintendo) and realize the DS nor the PSP have a killer app and are suffering as a result. Plain and simple.

Re:The state is bleak

[ElleyKitten]

I have both a DS and an SP, and I really don't think the DS is much, if at all, less durable than the SP. Nintendo tends to make some pretty durable things. The Gamecube at the game store I worked at fell off the shelf so many freaking times and it still kept working fine, while the PS2s broke when you looked at them funny. The DS is built of the same stuff as the SP, so I don't see why it would be less durable.

Re:The state is bleak

[ElleyKitten]

I don't think Nintendogs is out in the US yet. Those as far as it being a "killer app", in the only store I've seen a display about it in the manager laughed and mocked it when I asked him about it. I'm not thinking it's going to sell to well out here.

I'll agree w/ you that the DS doesn't have a killer app yet. WarioWare was fun, yet short, SM64 was fun too, yet a remake, and nothing else I've seen really looks worth it yet, though there's a lot of games coming out that look really really good. Metriod Hunters, Final Fantasy 3, Lost in Blue, Lunar 3, Sonic Rush, etc. Which is much better than the PSP, where I've seen *no* games that interest me.

Re:The state is bleak

[rohlfinator]

A game that's not commercially available for over a month shouldn't be expected to fly off the shelves.

Re:The state is bleak

[rAiNsT0rm]

I'm a game reviewer so I get games all the time, I don't cover DS titles so I was not up on the public release date, my bad. But still, I find it hard to believe that this is going to appeal to americans in any way shape or form. It is a fun novelty but not a killer app, nor even a game really.

Re:The state is bleak

[ronfar]

It is a fun novelty but not a killer app, nor even a game really.

Well, a few points:

1. It is a killer app in Japan, so Nintendo has to say mission accomplished even if it isn't successful in the US. Sure, they may still need to find their American killer app, but it's still important to the DS's success anyway.

2. I don't see how you can say, "it's not a game." Is the Sims not a game? Is Creatures not a game? It's a game, it's not your cup of tea is all.

Re:The state is bleak

[rohlfinator]

"Just because *closed* your DS took ONE fall and survived they must be built like heavy-armor tanks."
That's the point of the clamshell design. To keep the innards protected. I'm not sure what you expect out of a system. Should I be able to run it under a train with no damage? Unless you routinely drop your personal electronics from high office buildings, the DS should hold up fine.

"Put a GBA and either a PSP or DS up against each other and see which one lasts."
A closed DS could easily outlast the original GBA, because the clamshell design protects both screens. As for the following:
Hinges - the GBASP had a rather prominent hinge and most consider it to be one of the most durable handhelds created.
Large screens - the DS's screens are roughly the same size as that of the GBA, just with a higher resolution.
Delicate optical drive - again, not an issue with the DS. I already said that I don't have experience with the PSP's durability.

Again, you seem to have awfully high expectations. The DS can handle any routine abuse, and if you're repeatedly dropping it from more than six feet in the air, maybe you should stick to consoles with those easy-grip controllers. I generally don't need my portable to block bullets for me, as my left thigh probably isn't my most vulnerable target point anyway.

Re:The state is bleak

[rAiNsT0rm]

I agree, I'm not arguing. I simply state that the PSP is not durable... at all. The DS is better than the PSP (and yes Ninty makes great stuff) but the two screens, especially one being used with a stylus/kids is not that durable long term. two screens are nice (albeit a fairly useless gimmick) but they do present a bit more delicate unit overall. I'm not saying they are going to fall apart out of the blue due to shoddy construction, I'm just stating they aren't workhorse portables like the old brick GB that could stop a bullet and then play a good round of Tetris in celebration... and that I'd take the GBA SP over the DS and PSP - Which is what the general consumer is showing to be the case with their dollar votes right now.

Re:The state is bleak

[rohlfinator]

"and that I'd take the GBA SP over the DS and PSP - Which is what the general consumer is showing to be the case with their dollar votes right now."
Not in Japan, where the DS and PSP are each outselling the GBA by a factor of about 3:1. I imagine the same thing will begin in America once some decent games are released.

Re:The state is bleak

[Anonymous Coward]

Nintendogs and Animal Crossing are both games that are well designed for typical handheld users as well as the 'non-gamer' crowd; certanly the 14 year old 'mature' gamer will have little interest in them but for a significant portion of the Gameboy and Nintendo DS fan base these are excellent games. The real benefit of these games is that they have long-term apeal in burst play sessions; you play a game for 30 minutes a day for 6 months rather than play a game for 6 hours a day for a month. This short play session is what a large portion of the best handheld games are about.

I honestly think that far too many people project their play-style onto other people. This is a bad idea because in order for the industry to grow new markets, which currently have little interest in gaming, need to be tapped. Any company who can tap into the female non-gamer market will become remarkably successful; with current developers and publishers 'afraid' to try more unique, 'cute' or 'non-aggressive' games it just leaves a vaccume to be filled by another company.

Re:The state is bleak

[Anonymous Coward]

The problem isn't your opinion.

It's all the other straight up wrong BULL SHIT.

First of all you said nothing about "here in the States" in your first post.

Second: The games you listed for the DS aren't even fucking out in the US yet and I bet my life you haven't played any of them yet.

What do think makes a killer app? Sales? Or just anything you deem worthy of being called killer?

I bet you think GT4 is killer. It's the #1 best selling game in Japan so far this year. It's sold 1 million copies (the first and only game to do so this year)..

Well guess what? Nintendogs has only been out for 2 months in Japan and it's already the 4th best selling game at almost 500,000 copies sold.

Is that killer enough for you? Nah, because it's probably not your cup of tea. No big deal. To each their own.

Also the DS is only ~50k units sold from beating the PS2 in sales for this year in Japan. The PSP is doing pretty good too. Pretty amazing considering how well the PS2 is still selling.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/07/12/news_61288 89.html

"It truly is bleak right now with these two lack-luster offerings (I'm not even dignifying the Ngage) The PSP and DS are flops in my eyes,"

opinion

"and aparently a lot of others' because the GBA is still outselling them."

false

"No one wants an expensive, delicate portable game system... "

opinion (DS isn't delicate or all that expensive, can't speak for the PSP)

"especially one with so few games available of any quality or substance as the PSP and DS."

Some what true. Depends if you live in Japan or not. Tell me what system DID have tons of high quality games with substance at this point in the systems life?

"Lumines, Nintendogs, Electroplankton, etc. are just not killer apps."

opinion, sales numbers say otherwise.

"Honestly, these two systems have been out for some time now"

Honestly, no they haven't.

"with no major titles to carry them"

Nintendogs = 4th best selling game in japan this year after only 2 months? The many DS games topping Japan's charts every week?

"and none in the foreseeable future. A true shame."

What a load of crap. Both systems have awesome games in the foreseeable future. I guess you're just blind.

Re:The state is bleak

[rAiNsT0rm]

Jesus! Did you read what I said... you simply stated exactly what I originally said way back in the original post that was moded "0, flamebait."

Yeah, everyone will want one once (and if) solid titles begin to appear. No shit. TFA was about the CURRENT state of handhelds, and the current state is bleak. Small libraries, no killer apps, and some other assorted issues. Who would even argue this or claim it to be flamebait?

Re:The state is bleak

[Jonny_eh]

I've said this 100 times already. Meteos is super-awesome and SHOULD be a killer app!

I'm totally addicted to it now and I do not understand why Lumines is so much more well known? Maybe because Lumines was the only good game available during the PSP's launch.

I own Mario DS, Warioware, Yoshi Touch & Go, and Meteos, and Meteos is by FAR the best game out there. It's totally amazing. I even got my girlfriend into Meteos, I borrowed my brother's DS and the two of us played single cartridge multiplayer for an hour! That's probably the longest she's ever played a videogame for.

I'd like to check out the new Kirby game too, I heard it's sweet also.

Re:The state is bleak

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe because the DS has sold like 4-5 million already and Nintendogs has been absolutely flying off the shelves in Japan - everything you have said is a pile of crap.

Why don't you actually wait until you have played a DS before you criticise it with rubbish like "the second screen is a useless gimmick".

The reason it was modded as flaimebait is because you are a troll.

Re:The state is bleak

[rohlfinator]

"Did you read what I said... you simply stated exactly what I originally said way back in the original post that was moded "0, flamebait.""
Umm... you said nothing about either console's performance in Japan. You also claimed that there are no good games in the "forseeable future", when clearly there are plenty of games coming up for the DS, and maybe for the PSP, if you have the patience to search through the hordes of mediocre UMD movies on that list. Ugh, not so much for the PSP, I suppose. Only one game release per month in July and August? So scratch what I said about the PSP, but the DS has a great lineup for the summer and fall.

"TFA was about the CURRENT state of handhelds, and the current state is bleak."
The CURRENT state of handhelds extends to Japan as well, and as I pointed out earlier, the DS is doing just fine in the land of the rising sun. If I knew enough Japanese (or had enough cash) to import Nintendogs, Band Bros, Trace Memory, and Electroplankton, I would be occupied for the rest of the summer.

SP

[Is0m0rph]

I play my GBA SP usually everyday and have no desire to get a DS or PSP. I'm sure I'm not alone feeling that way.

Re:SP

[superpulpsicle]

Just wait till Christmas. Everybody release their games at $49.99. The gaming industry loves to stall the entire summer. Nothing new.

Re:SP

[chrisbtoo]

I'm sure I'm not alone feeling that way.

I'm sure you're not too - I was happy with my GBA SP for a while, and couldn't see how the DS (particularly the touchscreen) was so great.

Then I found one on special and picked it up just to see what it was like. Answer: fantastic. The touchscreen really is a neat way to play some of these games, and really does bring about some new ways of playing.

IMHO, the physical styling of the device leaves a bit to be desired - it looks kinda clunky. More than made-up-for by the gameplay tho.

Re:is that all?

[ZephyrXero]

Why even bother mentioning the N-Gage for that matter...

PDAs?

[ZephyrXero]

What I'd really love to see is a PDA/Pocket PC that has a built in analogue pad like the PSP's and some decent face buttons...plus you'd already have the touch screen for normal PDA type use. Throw in one of those mobile nvidia chips and a nice size flash drive or something on it for downloading games, and hell lets add in music too while we're at it...

Re:PDAs?

[ZephyrXero]

Nice! Guess I never gave the Zodiac the look over it needed? Although it's not clear on storage capabilites...I don't think it has any built in, but might accept SD cards. If it ran Linux it'd be perfect :)

Re:PDAs?

[Anonymous Coward]

And, as usual, when someone says: "if it had feature x, y, z, k and w I would buy it", you'll find an excuse NOT to buy it (it is almost perfect, but it should also be a wifi router)

This is why products are not designed by nerds. A product should do one thing, and do it well, so people in the market for that thing will buy the product. Cookie cutting.

Re:PDAs?

[Planesdragon]

1: Yes, it accepts SD cards. Two at the same time, in fact.

http://www.tapwave.com/zodiac_overview.html

2: LINUX IS COMING TO PALM OS!!!

Re:PDAs?

[ZephyrXero]

I guess more importantly to ask is, will SDL be available so I can release my games on it ;)

handhelds

[obzidian]

As technology continues to evolve so will handhelds. I find it remarkable how much functionality they cram into them (and cellphones). No wonder consoles have to have such off the chart specs. Onwards and upwards.

Nintendogs is a killer app

[LKM]

Lumines, Nintendogs, Electroplankton, etc. are just not killer apps.

You may not think that Nintendogs is a killer app. That's because you're a gamer. Nintendogs is aimed at non-gamers, and in Japan, it's definitely moving loads of DS consoles. Nintendogs is very much a killer app for the DS, because it makes non-gamers and casual gamers buy consoles.

If you think Nintendogs is not a killer app, you're fooling yourself. It may not be a hit among traditional gamers, but it's definitely shifting DS boxes in huge numbers.

Re:Nintendogs is a killer app

[Hard_Rock_2]

Id have to agree, in fact I'm thinking of buying a ds just for Nintendogs. I cant afford a psp so its not really an option.

Re:Nintendogs is a killer app

[Jonny_eh]

No, Lumines is not a killer app for the DS, since it's only available on the PSP.

On the other hand, Meteos (from the maker of Lumines!) IS a killer app (game) for the DS. Play it for 5 minutes, and you will hopefully agree.

It's special since it's gameplay cannot be done on any other system due to its' use of the touch screen (except maybe on a pocket PC?)

Handheld gaming's future never looked brighter

[alvinrod]

Up until now consumers have had one choice for the most part, and that was the GameBoy. Everything else that was put up against the GameBoy was slaughtered by it. Now Sony has come with deep pockets and the ability to support something else.

Personally, I really don't like the PSP (it's just an expensive portable PS2 for the most part), but I can see the advantages that it brings. The graphics on the GameBoy have never been all that great. Many games have looked good despite the GB or GBA's inability to throw out high polygon counts. The PSP makes 3D gaming possible on a handheld in ways that it has never been before. However, it seems as though most companies are intent on throwing rehashes of PS2 games on it. I really haven't seen any originality on the system. It has a lot of potential, but right now it seems a lot of that potential is being wasted. The only reason I'd buy one is Lumines, but I'm not paying almost $300 for the experience.

The DS on the other hand is really an odd duck. Like the PSP there is a lot of untapped potential on the system that's going to waste. However after playing games like Kirby's Canvas Curse, I've been blown away by some of the possibilities of the system. The DS is just begging people to think outside of the box and come up with something new and innovative.

The most important thing though, is that consumers have a choice in what type of gaming philosophy they want to subscribe to. You can buy into the innovation and new style of gaming brought about by the DS, or you can get the mainstream rich-graphic games that the PSP has to offer. No matter what your preference is, consumers have more of a choice now.

Re:Handheld gaming's future never looked brighter

[Anonymous Coward]

I've been blown away by some of the possibilities of the system. The DS is just begging people to think outside of the box and come up with something new and innovative.

Like a game that involves the stylus and my anus. That would be thinking inside the (stinky) box!

Re:Handheld gaming's future never looked brighter

[Anonymous Coward]

I have that game.

Re:Handheld gaming's future never looked brighter

[PhotoBoy]

You want a game like Booon-Ga Boon-Ga then, which has the full probe/anus interface going on.

Re:Handheld gaming's future never looked brighter

[BackInIraq]

The most important thing though, is that consumers have a choice in what type of gaming philosophy they want to subscribe to. You can buy into the innovation and new style of gaming brought about by the DS, or you can get the mainstream rich-graphic games that the PSP has to offer. No matter what your preference is, consumers have more of a choice now.

It's also coming down to what you expect your system to do...is just playing games good enough, or do you need it to play movies, music, etc.

This was, of course, a consideration with the most recent generation of home consoles, but I think it'll be an even bigger deal with handhelds, since while one is already likely to have a DVD player in their house, most people don't carry a standalone DVD player around in their pocket.

Personally, I'm a one-function guy...I just want my game system to play games, and my music player to just play music. But a lot of people fall into the other camp, and I can see their point.

Warning: article might be just a tad biased.

[AzraelKans]

A report by GCAdvanced indicates that this year it is a 4-day feature at Nintendo Insider. The developer roundtable is already up. It talks about not only the GBA, DS, and PSP, but the Gizmondo, N-Gage, and mobile phone gaming. GCAdvanced also reports there is an interview with Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan.

Yeah, that sounds totally unbiased to me.

Re:Warning: article might be just a tad biased.

[rohlfinator]

It's only hosted at a Nintendo site because for the past four years, Nintendo hasn't had any recognizeable competition.

Nintendo Insider itself hasn't actually written any of the content so far. Day 1 was an interview with several developers in the handheld sector, and it was pretty evenly matched between PSP/DS developers.

Day 2 was an interview with a Nintendo executive, but it's pretty obvious what sort of bias she might have. ;)
Day 3 is an interview with eight gaming journalists, and again, they're mostly from multiconsole sites. The name of the site might put you off, but they're actually doing a really good job of covering all views, mostly by interviewing relatively unbiased sources.

Re:Warning: article might be just a tad biased.

[PhotoBoy]

I agree, it's not biased to Nintendo at all, in fact some of the so-called "journalists" they interview are so dismissive of the DS because it doesn't do pretty graphics like the PSP I have to wonder how they can objectively review anything. Then again, one of them is aptly called The Game Dork...

My favourite interviewee was David Thomas of the Denver Post as he quite openly admitted that most journalists were seduced by the shiny PSP and hyped it massively without bothering to look at the quality of the games.

Re:Warning: article might be just a tad biased.

[rohlfinator]

David Thomas was definitely the funniest to read. Although he seemed a little biased against the PSP, he was way more fair than "The Game Dork", who kept ranting about the wonders of the PSP, but seemed to think that it should have included a built-in theater projector. He also suggested that Sony release "blank PSPs" to burn music to, leading me to believe that he very little about video games. It sounds like he may have started gaming on the Xbox or PS2, because he clearly doesn't understand how the industry works.

But yeah, Thomas was right on target in a lot of cases, and he made me laugh out loud several times. His analogies were often really bizarre, but quite accurate, and it was nice to see a journalist that openly admits the biases of the industry.

As a side note, I thought one of the most objective interviewees was Marc Nix of IGN's PSP channel, who until now has always seemed to be somewhat of a Sony fanboy to me. But this time I felt that he clearly understood both handhelds and really made some good comments. He didn't ignore some of the DS's bigger flaws, but he didn't write it off right away because it's not the PSP.

Will people buy a PSP solely for watching movies?

[LKM]

On page three of the developer roundtable, there's a question asking whether the developers think that the non-gaming features of the PSP could eat into game sales. Almost all interviewees seem to think that the opposite is true: People will buy the PSP for watching UMD movies and then discover that it can play games, too, thereby bringing in new gamers.

I think this is a bit delusional, but I'm wondering: Has anyone of you bought a PSP solely as a portable movie player? Do you know anyone who has? If you own a PSP, have you even bought a UMD movie?

Re:Will people buy a PSP solely for watching movie

[Anonymous Coward]

I have to agree with you. I would think that for most average people who want to see movies on the go, the best choice would be a portable DVD player. It's cheaper, you get comparable battery life, a larger screen, and if you already have a DVD library (which most people nowadays have), you don't have to buy movies in UMD format.

Re:Will people buy a PSP solely for watching movie

[apoc06]

Whereas many of the people posting have mentioned that they are interesting in having a device that does one thing [and does it well]. there are alot of parents that are interested in buying one device for their kids instead of 4. thats the PSP appeal. im not going on record saying whether thats better or not, but as a parent on a budget and kids that want an ipod, a portable media viewer, a playstation, and portable video games for the ride to and from school, etc. i think the PSP would appeal to that demographic since its more economical.

if you buy a PSP and use only one of its functions, whereas its just playing games, or just watching movies, or as alot of people here have stated, just playing homebrew; you are getting your monies worth. excluding play-yan importing, if you buy a gameboy and decide not to play games, you dont really have any use for it.

UMD movies are selling at a pretty decent clip. with more and more movie companies getting on the UMD bandwagon i dont really see the correlation. perhaps as gamers we cant really see the idea of movies bringing in new consumers to play games. the movie aspect isnt bringing in as many new non-gamer customers IMO, but it surely is making an impact on the industry. that cant be denied.

Re:Will people buy a PSP solely for watching movie

[rohlfinator]

I've actually heard that UMD movies have been selling better than PSP games for some time. But that's mostly because of the big drought of games between launch and the holidays, and people want to justify their purchase. I don't know anyone who wants to buy a PSP solely for the movie playback. They'd all much rather get a cheap laptop or a portable DVD player. The general consensus for the new Final Fantasy movie is that PSP owners will probably buy the UMD version, but everyone else will buy it on DVD rather than buy a PSP for it.

I think that by the time some decent PSP games start shipping (read: GTA), the novelty of UMD movies will die off, unless Sony starts shipping movies with some PSP-only features.

Re:Will people buy a PSP solely for watching movie

[Anonymous Coward]

And for the price of a 1gb PSP Memory stick you can buy a 1gb flash mp3 player that is smaller and easier to cary around while listening to music.

it's pointless to buy a PSP to do these things.

Then buy your self an f*ing laptop.

[PeelBoy]

Personally, I'm a one-function guy

oh really? so when you build a new computer do you buy an all in one motherboard or do you buy a seperate video card, sound card and network card?

Re:Then buy your self an f*ing laptop.

[PeelBoy]

Separate that is.

Re:Will people buy a PSP solely for watching movie

[PeelBoy]

Dude. Playing music is not something the PSP does well. It's far too big. 1gb flash players cost the same as a 1gb memory cart for the PSP.

Playing movies on the PSP is a real pain in the neck and the wallet. If you have more than 1 kid all bets are off. Can you imagine the fighting going on in the back seat? A few GBA SP's and a bunch of games would keep kids far more entertained.

I'm sure there are a few people out there who actually have a use for watching movies on the thing, but even then a portable dvd player would probably be a better choice for those people. I'm sure they can play music cd's and maybe even mp3's by now.

If I get a PSP it'll be for the games.

Re:Will people buy a PSP solely for watching movie

[apoc06]

you apparently have not had your hands on this thing. first and foremost the 16:9 screen on the PSP [even at the smaller size] will beat most portable dvd players at the same price. you should definitely check one out. the screen is usually what sucks most people in. its superb quality and after you actually watch video on it, you would never try to compare it to a huge bulky portable dvd player again.

Dude. Playing music is not something the PSP does well. It's far too big. 1gb flash players cost the same as a 1gb memory cart for the PSP.

Playing movies on the PSP is a real pain in the neck and the wallet. If you have more than 1 kid all bets are off. Can you imagine the fighting going on in the back seat? A few GBA SP's and a bunch of games would keep kids far more entertained.

okay, playing music could be better. yes, but playing music is in fact something that the PSP does well. its not meant to be the size of the ipod, since i am assuming thats what you are comparing it to. its not meant to be that size because it functions as more than just a music player.

as far as the memory goes. i would agree that it is expensive to buy memory sticks, but you also have the option to not buy any. even though the default one sucks, sony has finally smartened up and decided to release memory with the system.

buying PSPs for a bunch of kids is probably not the easiest solution unles you have money to burn, but i guarantee that you will save cash in the long run. you buy one product instead of: (music player + video game system + portable dvd player + emulator device + photo viewer) X ~2 batteries per device X the number of kids you have.