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What's Up With The PSP?
1up.com has an article up examining the current state of PSP sales and interest. Frustrations are mounting regarding the lackluster monetary outlook and poor game selection. From the article: "The PSP has traveled the spectrum of being hailed as the greatest piece of hardware since the introduction of the original PlayStation to being treated like a Goodwill store where developers drop off bare-bones ports and shoddy, old games. Since the release of the PSP on March 24, 2005, to the time of this writing, there have been approximately 30 games released, 17 of which were released during the launch window. Around 10 or so of the games available could be considered ports of PlayStation 2 games, which is about one-third of the entire PSP library. And if you work out the math with the number of games released since the launch period, it comes out to less than one PSP game release per week--.76 games to be exact."
i don't even care to release a first post for the psp...
..People like modding it/installing 3rd party software on it more :)
Seriously. I want one just for all the cool hacks that keep coming out for it. I could care less about games :P
"Better to be vulgar than non-existent" -Bev Henson
Still waiting to see the article of someone playing a game on PSP.
I think its' strength may yet lie in support for UMD movies.
There may not be many games released, but there seems to be no shortage of movies.
Interest in the UMD is virtually nil, and rightfully so IMHO; why would you want a lower-quality movie format you can only watch on your PSP when you could buy a DVD instead (for the same price I believe?)?
I never spellcheck and I freely admit it. Save your karma for more worthwhile "lol erorrs" replies
I've been stuck playing SNES, NES and Neo Geo emulators on my PSP for months now. Aside from GTA:LCS and Burnout Revenge there's nothing in the pipeline for the PSP that looks especially interesting. Sony are great at telling us how amazingly world changing their hardware is going to be but the actual games after launch are often a let down.
Luckily I've had Pac-Pix, Elextroplankton, Meteos, Another Code and Kirby's Cursed Canvas to keep me occupied during the drought. And with Mario Kart DS, New Super Mario Bros, Nintendogs, Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney, Animal Crossing DS, Mario & Luigi 2, Metroid Prime Hunters, Sonic Rush, Trauma Center and Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble there should be plenty on the DS to keep me occupied!
I can't figure out what the purpose of UMD movies is, there's one PSP game I wouldn't mind playing (do I even have to state which it is?), but I wouldn't pick up even the best movie for the system.
But at least so far, it doesn't seem to be *hurting* PSP sales. I just don't think it's helping.
The United States doesn't have anything like Japan's Media Create, which has a free source of hardware and software sales figures for game consoles. Seems the closest we have is NPD numbers, which you must pay to use, and which have strict controls over how they may be used without being charged.
But from what I've heard from people with access to the numbers (which is not me), at the moment, that PSP sales are a bit better than DS sales. This may change, however, when the increasingly impressive DS library currently out in Japan begins to be seen on U.S. shores.
Only time will tell if that actually happens.
With all the hype about what you can do with a PSP, maybe I'll just wait for some souped up PDA that's meant to do all the things you have to hack a PSP to accomplish ;)
Perfecting Discordia
www.stevenvansickle.com
There's loads of great games out for the DS. If you don't like those sorts of games what did you buy one for? ANd there's loads of great games coming out this year like Mario Kart and Metroid Prime Hunters. What's the PSP getting aside from GTA?
this is the same story with the DS. Too few games, but things will turn around. Personally, I think the PSP price tag is really holding it back. The reason I picked up a DS is because of the price. It's that simple. Meteos is a great game too. If I never buy another game, living with portable Meteos will keep me happy for a long time.
They hyped the system, but didn't have the great games for it. They still don't. Things should improve later this year (Burnout, GTA, and more). THAT is when the PSP will become bigger. But they've been low on games. Compare that list (one game that I played for more than a week) to my DS. I've played Feel the Magic, Kirby, Yoshi's Touch and Go, and Mr. Driller tons. And with Advanced Wars, Nintendogs, and many other things comming out in the next few months (including a new Castlevania) I am VERY excited.
Nintendo didn't have the hype, but they've had the games.
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
I own a PSP, and a friend of mine who's "on the fence" between PSP and DS sent me this article the other day. I really don't mind the current lineup with the PSP. I've owned a GBA, and played a friend's DS, and to be honest I tire of games on those platforms far too quickly.
By contract, I find I'm still playing my PSP games, and I'm not finding the novelty coming off. Wipeout Pure has had what, five updates by the developer downloadable with the PSP's wireless connectivity, one of many positive details the article doesn't focus on at all. I'm still playing Lumines like it's laced with crack, Midnight Club 3 is a blast (even with the load times) and has a ton of content in it.
Now the 2.00 firmware's out there (Japanese version at least) and I've been messing around with developing websites for it, right now only one public one with some backgrounds (winterblink.com/psp). Games, UMD movies, encoded movies, music, pictures... I'm definitely not getting bored of the device. I just find the 1up article focuses far too much on the negative, something you could easily do for the DS as well.
"I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
-Hoban Washburn
Yeah, I'm going to have to agree...
I got my PSP right around release (thankfully for free) and picked up Luminies and Outlaw Golf shortly after... Luminies certinaly was a nice introduction to the quality of the PSP's screen but honestly didn't do much else for me. Outlaw golf was fun for a minute too but you know what, certinaly not something I HAVE to play.
Then came the emulators and finally I found a use once again for my PSP. After loading it up with NES roms I have to say, there is almost nothing cooler than playing RBI Baseball or Tyson's Punchout on the subways to work. Sometimes I'll even leave the volume up just a bit so all my fellow commuters can rejoice in the glory that is NES soundtracks. Stupid dragon warrriors theme just won't get out of my head.
That being said, why hasn't Nintentdo taken this route at all (or at least now that they've seen the potential market)? I'm serious, can you imagine the type of sales they would get if they created a portable device that allowed you to legally play all those great games from your childhood all for a nice low hardware price? I mean it's all those simple games that actual convert well to a portable system not uber complicated, multi-houred cinematic dreams. I mean think about the best portable games, Tetris, and um, Tetris? Hmmm, maybe the Revolution will have a portable counterpart that would allow you to take your purchased library on the road with you... Nintendo are you listening? Yes, they definintly need to get on this.
As for the fate of the PSP, I don't think it's completly dead yet. As mentioned, GTA:LCS is coming down the pipeline shortly and I can say that it certinaly is a ton of fun. I mean there really isn't anything like seeing a fully realized GTA world neatly placed inside a portable. Mayhem on the streets is just too good to pass up.
What a horrible thing the ESRB just did to the game industry.
I play my DS almost daily, what games have you been playing.
I've been playing Meteos non-stop, when I get bored of that, I'll get Kirby: Canvas Curse. After that, there's the new Advance Wars game (coming out in 2 weeks).
The DS's future is very bright IMO
Online MarioKart, online Animal Crossings, a new super mario bros sidescroller with 3D stuff mixed in (watch the movies, it looks very stylish) Katamari Damachy DS (yes, touchscreen katamari) AoE DS, metroid hunters ds (unfortunantly not online) the new zelda ds (not another four swords game) and the crap load of other games. You can't honestly tell me that list doesn't excite you in the least bit? Also, those are only some of the 1st party games (with two 3rd) that are coming out this fall. The future is looking good for the DS.
I f***ing love my DS, especially since I take the city bus to work every day. (Gas is nearly $3/gal here in CA). Lately I've been going back and forth between Meteos and Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones. Plus I have tons of games to look forward to. Personally I think Pac N' Roll looks like it will be fun.
I can't believe nobody has mentioned these yet. Price (way too expensive for a handheld IMHO) and size. The thing is huge! Yeah, the display is beautiful but since I don't carry a briefcase around everywhere, it's out. Both of those reasons are why I just carry around the ol' GBA SP. Even that I don't carry around that much because it can't fit in the pocket of every pair of jeans I have. For those times, I just break out the cell phone games.
The PSP well for owners of the V1.0 and V1.5 firmware (for now) is the ultimate Emulation and Homebrew Console with such sites as PSP Emulation News, the jap site PSP Wiki site and the forums at PS2 Dev being the best places to catch the new releases. Lets hope they crack the v2 and v1.51/1.52 software soon.
Coming from somebody who bought a DS a couple weeks ago.... after selling their PSP, the DS already has more original games and has a much stronger release schedule. The PSP is a sexy gadget, and initially I couldn't resist it. But if at Christmas time this year you compare the number of quality, original, non-ported games, the DS is going to win, hands down.
Greatest Bathroom Reading Device Ever.
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The same was true for the first 5ish months of DS' life too, with only the odd crap being released. Only a few months ago did this start to change, with some actually alight games finally coming out for it, but it didn't last long.
This time for PSP also falls in a good game dry spell. Honestly, they've been few and far between for all systems systems, just look at the consoles.
Finally, PSP just had such a huge launch line up that there wasn't enough to stretch over the next months. Poor planing, and dissapointing, but looking at September and Octobers releases, it's looking a lot better.
Im beginning to worry about 1up the place is aparently ran by Nintendo fanboys that make our own batch look "normal" in comparison.
;)
1.- There is nothing UP on the PSP the damn thing is too expensive. Developers know that, users know that. wait for the price drop to see what the PSP is about.
2.-Lack of sales yep, but In the latest EGM I read the PSP games (as bad and few as they are!) are on the top 10.
Is a mystery why Sony decided to languish the first year of the PSP, but the console is definetily not in bad shape (all things considered) there are some major releases for the last quarter. (battlefront 2, gta) if you have a psp stick to it. you wont regreet it.
And if you have a DS stick to it too, where does it say you can only have one handheld?
Go ahead MOD my day!
More opinions here
Except Lumines there isn't a single unique PSP title that kicks Ass. And the only game I am waiting for right now is Burnout: Legends.
"Freiheit ist immer auch die Freiheit des Andersdenkenden" - Rosa Luxemburg, 1871 - 1919
I still haven't seen a PSP. Until I see one, I'm not likely to want it, am I?
.com 90s, but not any more.
Come on, Sony, get that clue you so desperately need. Start having PSPs on display in stores. I know this will sound strange, but people tend not to buy $300 gadgets sight unseen. Maybe they did in the
GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
You forgot about the DS ports of Hexen and Heretic. I am currently in the process of creating a Lumines clone for DS. Tepples has already released a Lumines clone for GBA called Luminesweeper.
I also forgot to mention ScummVM, which ironically... I was flashing to my flash cart while I was writing that (it works great!).
It's called the post-launch black hole. Launch titles get pushed out, and then there is a period of time where quality games are just lacking because they are still being programmed. Nearly every (if not every) video game system suffers this, the DS just recently got over the hump. Give the programmers time to work their magic, and eventually the PSP will have a more consistent release schedule.
And Advance Wars DS. I don't have a DS yet but I will buy one for that along with Meteos and Kirby.
per dolorem ad astra
1. Wrong format for the games. Behind the times. Forget about cartridges - get the games via digital distribution ala itunes or any downloadable game site
2. Wrong emphisis on games. Thing should be able to play music and play videos/movies. Easily. Via itunes like software. No stupid $30 carts to play movies.
3. Too big. Damn thing is too big, and too boot, my GBA feels much better to play games on. Me arm hurts holding the thing up.
4. No killer games. Game machine without killer games? What?
5. Wrong game production model. Games are too big and too costly, thus the pain of getting them made which has led to 4.
In the end, the thing missed on both fronts. It is not so great for games and it really sucks as a 'portable entertainment device'
So it sits on my shelf collecting dust while I play my game boy and listen to my ipod.
I use mine like an ipod for old games, its so addictive I cant leave the house with it, or I wont get anything done...its almost like a drug habit. The emulators on the PSP are better than a computer emulator because you can have it with you anywhere, line at a bank, waiting for your girlfriend while trying clothes on etc. And the idea of save states and the way the sleep mode works has you back to exactly where you were in seconds, not having to wait for the computer to boot, etc.
I can play Smash TV until its boring, then play Mario until I die, then play Punch out, then switch to Phantasy Star IV....old RPGs are like crack on a portable. Unless you can get a PSP that says "REVISION A" not "REVISION B" underneath where it says "120V" dont even bother. Yes I can play pirated PSP games on it, but I dont, not because I think its unethical etc, simply because their not very good, and I can play 99% of them on systems I already own, and not only that the emulators are more fun...mike tyson's punch out rules! Zelda RULES! Super Mario World Rules! Sonic Hedgehog and Phantasy Star are amazing! The Castlevania for the Turbografx that was never released in America is one of the best ones, No game for the PSP comes even close to these classics, why waste precious space on my memory stick for these bloated apps? Besides it is kinda cheesy to steal them when they just came out, if I really did want them I actually would buy them, besides the fact that they would take up most my memory stick.
So which is fastest? Is there a spec comparison sheet?
I bought a PSP without a doubt in my mind that there would be awesome games soon that would make the DS (which I didn't purchase because I was getting a PSP) teh sUxx0rz. Well, now I'm not so sure. The only launch game that didn't suck was Ridge Racer, and the 2 games I was genuinely excited for (Coded Arms and Death Jr,) turned out to suck ass, and I upgraded firmware before I new about homebrew. And the games I'm now really looking forward to are ports of games I love (Castelvania: Symphony of the Night, Street Fighter Alpha 3, and Mega Man Legends) so there's no way to get disappointed. What kind of console has you looking forward to ports? I'm sorry, but if Tenchu doesn't rock and developers don't start making good games, the next thing my PSP is going to see is the Pre-owned aisle at EB Games.
Only 30 games for the PSP? Where are you shopping? There's more like 50, 60, even 70 out there. If the extent of your shopping experience if Best Buy and Target, then it's your own fault you don't have any games.
Go somewhere that has the games. I get mine in Japan where they have dozens and dozens of them. Your inability to read Japanese is not my problem. Take it as an opportunity to explore a new culture. Most of the games don't need Japanese language skills anyway.
Don't stick your head in the sand and then complain that it's dark.
-- I'm old enough to have lived through six different meanings of the word "hacker."
but the DS as well... I bought the DS when it came out, and bought Super Mario 64 port for it... and since then.......... I bought th Atari Retro (mistake, although cool for 5 minutes) and that's it. The GBA had a better software library then either... Probably unfair considering how long the GBA has been out, but I get the feeling developers are having trouble making good portable games (excpet for a few exceptions)
but then again maybe it's just me
PSP could use a 2D megahit Castlevania game right about now. GTA PSP is around the corner. Also Katamari is from Namco, that's 3rd party.
Going by the list in your link, only 53 of those games are actually available in Japan. The rest are available only for preorder. Maybe you're seeing UMD videos in the shops? For comparison, the DS has 60 released games in Japan, so it's not like the PSP is alone in this respect.
Regardless of the actual number of games available worldwide, the American press almost always reports the US numbers when directly addressing an American audience. 1up wasn't spreading false information, they were simply reporting the most relevant facts. Their point was that since the PSP's launch, software releases have been few and far between, which is unusual for a Sony-backed platform.
I'm a gamer. No, not the play 149 hours a day gamer and use l33t speak gamer. The kind of gamer that loves the art. The play every game which "redefines" gaming or even simply "defines" a genre type of gamer. Here's how it breaks down for a real guy with a real job who loves games.
DS
1) Great first month, just for the novelty
2) Now great for those unique games. Kirby:Canvas Curse has brought back "what is a fun game?" where we had lost sight of that.
3) Dual screens are mostly useless. Great in those rare situations, but 99% of the time it is simply fluff on screen 2.
4) Game lineup is adequete for a console of it's age. The few quality titles (4 maybe?) are rare, the others are simple time wasters
5) Future looks very promising (Advance Wars, Nintendogs, Animal Crossing)
6) Wireless is a waste for someone without gamer friends. No internet connection seems unwise at this stage
7) The games that are good (Kirby, Pac-Pix, Wario Ware) are *very good*.
8) Touch screen is almost always put to good use in user interface, and usually in the really good games too.
9) Battery life is a non-issue. My girlfriend managed to kill it playing animal crossing for 4 hours or so after not charging for a couple of days. It was the first time that's been done to it.
10) Price is great. $150 is not that bad for the hardware you get, and the games rarely go above $35.
11) My girlfriend loves the DS, and she's had sole possession of it for the last two months. I've got too much PSP emulation to deal with the DS...for now.
PSP
1) Very cool, extremely limited games. I own 4 games, 3 of which I play (MGS, Lumines, Wipeout). They are perfect for the device, and "define" their genres, but are not revolutionizing the world.
2) Other than the 3, there are almost *no* new games coming which interest me. GTA and I'm looking into burnout maybe.
3) Pricetag is high. Both for the system, *and* the games. We are talking PS2/Xbox/Cube prices for a portable game
4) Bigger memory stick is necessary. You can't really even fit the extra wipeout bonuses on the 32MB stick and still put anything else on it.
5) Memory stick almost doubles price (I went for a 1GB)
6) Memory stick QUADRUPLES value. This *one* device is now my favorite MP3 player, holds a couple of Vids from my mythbox, and a ton of ScummVM games. I haven't even scratched the surface of the other emulation games.
7) Emulation is mostly painless. Once you get a mem card, you're good to go (on 1.5 firmware). There's no flash-cards or crazy hacks. I run one program to load the game to the card, done.
8) I only own Spiderman on UMD (included free at launch), and don't think I would ever buy a UMD. Why would I? My mythbox has a lot of great television (galactica/mencia/24) that I can easily transcode and watch on the go if need be.
9) Battery life is not great, but is not bad either. I've played ScummVM games for well over an hour, and only lost 1/3 bars. I then played some Mp3 podcasts for an hour and still had 2 bars. I don't need the thing to last 8 hours without charge. Some may, I do not.
The bottom line is the DS has a lot of potential to make some truly revolutionary games. This, for me, is extremely attractive and makes the DS a true portable gaming system. The price for the system and the games is perfect. The games themselves feel like they were meant to be played "on the go". You can stop/start as you like.
The PSP on the other hand, is a wonderful media device that happens to play some good games. It's like what the ngage promised to be, but never was. It is almost like being able to play PS2 quality games is a bonus. It's the other qualities that make the PSP shine.
It's the first time I actually believe what the market-droids said when the devices launched. They are *not* competing with each other. If you love unique games, and want to replace your GBA, go with a DS. If you want a portable media hub, that plays some nifty games, go with a PSP.
As a sibling poster said though, you don't have to have just one. I don't have a lot of disposable income, but I knew the launch dates a year or so in advance, and simply plopped $10 every week or so in jar. Spare change took care of the rest.
-- I have fans? Wow.
Unfortunately, I'm a little too late to get any mod points, but hopefully someone will read this anyway :P
One can buy a cheap portable DVD player with a much bigger screen, and not be relegated to the UMD format for around $150. One can also purchase a Nintendo DS for around $150. One can purchase a PSP for $250, be stuck buying UMD movies, and watching them on an inferior screen.
For $150 + $150 = $300 you can play quality games on the Nintendo DS (Which cost $10-$20 less than PSP games) and watch the DVDs you already own on your portable dvd player. Not to mention you can play games using a stylus and a touchscreen, a feature not yet available with any other system.
It is quite possible for people to record things on a PVR, legally, and rip to PSP, legally.
In fact, Sony even sells a PVR in Japan (the vaunted but misnamed PSX - hint, its not a PS1) which in its latest release will rip recorded shows directly to a format that can be easily downloaded from the PSX to the PSP.
What you are describing, incorrectly as legal, is not only legal, but Sony even puts direct support for that activity in some of the hardware it makes and sells (even if its only sold in Japan).
unfortunately, the 2d megahit Castlevania game has already been anounced for the DS
I have been playing this game called "Loading Screen" on my PSP. It's really fun, especially when you just want to pick-up-and-play a game real quick.
Now if someome would just release a decent native PSP RPG....
a new super mario bros sidescroller with 3D stuff mixed in (watch the movies, it looks very stylish)
It is. I got to play a three level demo of it at a Nintendo show last week. not only does it look superb it plays great too, reminded me a lot of Super Mario World. I will definatly be buying it when it comes out.
I also got to play Mario Kart DS, the new Mario football game (I forget its name) and Twighlight Princess. And yes, they all rock.
"I realise this is not a very popular opinion but it's the truth, and there for needs to be said" -Bill Hicks
It's too expensive compared to GBA, GBA-SP and even the DS. Seriously, most of the people who would actually own a hand held are children. Most adults would rather sit at a home console than carry that around. Not that I wouldn't mind having one but I'm too busy to carry a portable system. By the time I want to play games, I'm at home where I can play my home console/pc.
I see the hacking appeal but that's a huge minority right there.
So making the assumption that kids are the primary users, who buys these for the kids? Parents obviously. Why would they spend +$250 on something the kid would carry around as opposed to something that is $80~$150? Of course, there is also the game library. PSP has only about 30 or so games right now. DS has hundreds due to backwards compatibility.
It was an uphill battle for Sony to begin with and even though it seems they haven't been doing great, I think they seriously put a dent into Nintendo's hold on the handheld market.
Clearly 1up.com, a Nintendo site, presents an unbiased and comparative view of the PSP. A console with 30 launch titles, most of which were very solid, is a great failure! And if we've only gotten 0.76 games per week since then, that's not enough to keep any real gamer satisfied. Any console that doesn't have a constant stream of titles since launch is doomed!
People have short memories. The DS had what at launch? The PS2 had what at launch? The Cube had what at launch? Remember the months after the PS2? Remember the year after the Cube? What about the stream of nothing but ports for the GBA?
Cripe, people, get a clue. The PSP has a lot going for it, and it has a lot of games in the pipe. Be patient and stop whining.
Don't think of it as a flame---it's more like an argument that does 3d6 fire damage
I find myself in the same situation. There just aren't any really good games in the PSP's library yet. Part of the problem, I believe, is that the titles available just aren't tailored to a "portable experience". A portable system really should be something you could whip out and play a for a few minutes while waiting in line at the bank, or for a bus to arrive.
But somehow, we wind up with titles like Wipeout Pure, which require us to sit through a ten second UMD load, and mash buttons through logo screens, confirm loading of user data, select game mode, and wait another ten seconds for a track to load. After that, you have a three minute stretch of white-knuckle racing that you can't pull your eyes from without ruining. The game itself is *great* sure. I agree with that. The only problem is, it's not portable.
My experience with other titles has been similar. It's gotten to the point where I've downloaded a copy of the Wipeout Pure UMD dump and put it on my memory stick just because it loads so much faster that way. The hacked/pirated version of Wipeout I have requires that a UMD be in the drive. Guess which UMD I use? The Wipeout Pure UMD. Ha Ha Ha.
Running emulators on the PSP makes it portable, for me. SNES games are just so pleasantly no-nonsense.
The PSP like the DS was simply fodder for the holiday seasons. Something to tide people over till the "next gen" counsoles come out.
Watch how fast PSP and DS fade out when they do come out.
Why are there more and more releases on UMD then?
There aren't. I went into EBGames, Wal-Mart, and Meijer stores in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and among the three of them, there were zero UMD Video titles rated G or TVG.
Why have anime companies (where it is risky business to release any DVD not to mention UMD) taking a chance with it?
In the United States, even the GBA has more anime than the PSP, even if it is all kid-oriented anime.
For these and many other reasons, I continue to recommend a Nintendo DS plus a portable DVD player for most customers.
The PSP is smaller than any portable DVD player, and the screen resolution is really astounding for a screen that size
But are the smaller size of the PSP and the clarity of the display worth paying a $100 premium over a portable DVD player, especially if the specific titles you want are not available at all on UMD Video in your region?
So you're going to walk around with your MP3 player, your DVD player, and your DS all in your pocket?
Somebody with the time to sit and watch a feature film is probably carrying a backpack. As for music, if you have a GBA flash card, you can use the GSM Player for GBA in your GBA, GBA SP, or Nintendo DS.
you come out cheaper with the psp.
What about the time you spend waiting for a particular movie to come out on UMD Video? Currently the PSP has zero UMD Video titles rated G. It takes time to build up a library that comes close to approaching the DVD Video library in a given Region, and time is money.
as far as music is concerned unless you are talking about the pretty useless [for me anyway] ipod shuffle, you will have to shell out more than the PSP itself.
If you already have a GBA flash cart, you can use the GSM Player to put music on your GBA.
once you talk about emulators and homebrew, you will need a flashcart, or one of those awkward looking passthru devices for your ds. there goes the form factor right there.
And no, an F2A or EFA flash cart for GBA homebrew doesn't kill the form factor of the Nintendo DS any more than an official GBA game does. And for DS homebrew, once you've used the PassMe adapter once to flash your DS's firmware, you can keep the PassMe at home and load the DS homebrew from a GBA flash cart.
And for small homebrew roms, you can make do with just a wifi card.
In order to run homebrew .nds files on a Nintendo DS using Wi-Fi without a GBA flash cart, you'll need to find someone else with a PassMe and a GBA flash cart so that you can flash your DS's firmware to ignore the lack of Nintendo's digital signature on homebrew binaries. This may change if someone decides to reverse engineer the multiplayer boot process of Super Mario 64 DS.
If Sony would just quit patching against it, it would become one hell of a platform for independent development. Of course all they're worried about is people playing Super Mario Bros. on a Nintendo emulator...
The GBA could play most NES games long before the PSP was even out.
Bathroom confirmed!
Don't go out tonight
Well it's bound to take your life
There's a bathroom on the right
Except Lumines there isn't a single unique PSP title that kicks Ass.
It's not so unique anymore.
Emulation on the PSP is mostly painless. Once you get a mem card, you're good to go (on 1.5 firmware).
"Sorry, but we're all sold out of new PSPs with 1.5 firmware, and we're never going to get any more from Sony."
There's no flash-cards or crazy hacks.
Memory Stick Duo is a card with flash memory on it, and the way homebrew is loaded from the Memory Stick is a "crazy hack" in itself.
I don't have a lot of disposable income, but I knew the launch dates a year or so in advance, and simply plopped $10 every week or so in jar.
That beats having no disposable income at all. I get a $300 allowance from the State of Indiana; $200 of that goes to paying down student loans, and $100 to paying for my psychiatric medication. I am seeking employment, but all I can get out of human resources is "Sorry, we went with another candidate," no matter whether I apply for a job in the field connected to my degree or even a part-time minimum wage job. Can you help me?
The DS had what at launch?
Every single GBA game and GBA Video title that runs on a GBA SP. Backward compatibility boosted the Nintendo DS launch the same way it boosted the PS2 launch.
The PS2 had what at launch?
Apart from all PS1 games (except for about a dozen obscure titles that had graphical glitches), PS2 had DVD movies, which were new at the time. The Japanese launch saw a lot of people buying the PS2 as a DVD player and getting a game console for no extra charge.
Not to mention [that with the Nintendo DS,] you can play games using a stylus and a touchscreen, a feature not yet available with any other system.
Sony's previous handheld system, the CLIÉ, had a touch screen.
[emulation] is all possible already on the PSP without the need for too much additional hardware
The PSP with 1.50 firmware itself is "additional hardware", as virtually all new units sold at retail in August 2005 come with the homebrew-incompatible 1.51, 1.52, or 2.0 firmware. Besides, what about Europe, where Sony is cracking down on PSP imports?
A minor correction, Carnivale's first season is out on DVD (has been for a while). Though you'd need to rip it
Is it CSS'd? If so, it's illegal in the country where Slashdot's server is located, as there's no exception for fair-use space shifting under the anti-circumvention provisions of the DMCA.
I thought you only needed to own the old ROM to be able to legally download them?
That's what MP3.com thought until it lost the my.mp3.com case.
And while I'm personally against copyright infringment, who cares if people are downloading 20 year old abandonware?
The copyright owner (whoever it may be after corporate acquisitions and liquidations of copyright assets at auction) cares, because the work is not yet 95 years old.
every psp/ ds post i seem to find you. are you stalking me?
No, I'm stalking people who would otherwise waste their money.
i know of at least one personally. and there are plenty of imax converted movies. they arent rated, but certainly not all, but most would be considered g rated.
I didn't mean to say that they didn't exist full stop, just that the three stores I visited, all in Fort Wayne, Indiana, have none of them. And if they're not in stores, they don't exist to most consumers of media.
as for the time you spend, that time is only as long as it takes to convert your movie to mp4 or h.264 and play it on your psp.
Isn't converting a CSS-encrypted DVD Video to MPEG-4 video for PSP Memory Stick Duo a crime in the United States, which is where Slashdot's server is located? See 17 USC 1201 and Universal v. Reimerdes.
the point i was making was that the psp doesnt require an additional piece of equipment, or to convert your music collection.
My music collection is mostly in FLAC, Vorbis, tracked (mod/xm/s3m) formats, and video game rip (nsf/gbs/spc) formats. Does any PSP sold at retail in the United States play those? Or would I have to pay for a piece of proprietary software to convert them to MPEG or ATRAC audio?
And what's with Sony's concerted effort to keep the PSP out of Europe at all costs?
just as there are mod chips for pretty much every console.
Handhelds are different, as unlike with a set-top box, there isn't much physical space inside a handheld video game system for a modchip.
the psp is different in the respect that the security is only within the firmware itself; allowing software hacks to bypass the security checks.
Just because the checks are implemented in software doesn't mean that they can necessarily be circumvented in software. Particularly, OpenBSD out of the box is software, but it has had only one remote hole in how many years?
however just as 1.50 was cracked, so will 2.0 be.
Can I buy a policy to guarantee that that prediction will come true or my money back? Given that I have near zero disposable income, I do not want to waste my money on a system that never turns out to be cracked within its useful lifetime when there are better alternatives available such as the GPX2.
Does any PSP sold at retail in the United States play those?
Clarification: I meant "Does any PSP sold new in box at retail as of today, August 18, 2005, in the United States of America, play those?"
some people make their own movies, own their own properties
But seriously, how many people would want to buy a PSP to watch, say, a wedding video? And doesn't the number of people who have actually been to film school pale in comparison to the numbers that Sony wants for the PSP? And if you're trying to demonstrate your product to a potential employer who wants to hire you for your film production skills, you might as well demonstrate it on a $150 portable DVD player instead of a $250 PSP and a $100 memory card (Memory Stick PRO Duo). Given pricing and copyright restrictions, I just don't understand this use case in practice.
i would be surprised to know that you arent aware of the fact that there are a great many free mp3 converters out there.
Using LAME is just as illegal as using DeCSS because MP3 encoding is patented.
there is also a media player for the psp which will play many of your [Vorbis, FLAC, and MOD] filetypes there.
Is this published by Sony, or does it require the 1.50 PSP which is no longer available at retail?
unfortunately, the world continues to treat all of europe like one region
That started when the European Union was created. Before the EU, we had (say) at least 2 different versions of the NES for different parts of Europe.
if the slew of europeans import their psps from america or japan, then when it debuts and most users over there already have their psp's and it doesnt sell like hotcakes, then everyone will start trumpeting on and on about how big a failure it will be.
The success of a video game system is not in how many consoles it sells but in how many games it sells. Console makers sell a new console at a price very close to the marginal cost of production, which means that after research and development and promotion are taken into account, a new console is a money-loser apart from royalties per game and per copy of game. PSP games aren't region coded; people who import a PSP will still buy European games. Or is Sony banking on revenue from sales of UMD Video titles, which seem to be coming out quicker than games but are region coded?