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EU/UK Retailers Gear Up For PSP Launch

Posted by Zonk on from the good-things-come-to-those-who-wait dept.

GamesIndustry.biz reports that console retailers are preparing for the midnight launch of the PSP in Europe. From the article: "Leading retail chain GAME plans to open 250 of its stores at midnight, with 1500 staff working overnight to meet demand for the new console, which is launching with around 30 software titles and 30 UMD movies. Many other retailers are also planning to open tonight, with several planning special launch party events - including Sony's official launch event, which will take place at the HMV store on Oxford Street."

52 comments

  1. I can't wait... by FinestLittleSpace · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...to sleep through that

  2. Are they charging less for it in Europe? by ivan256 · · Score: 1

    If they aren't there are going to be some very bored retail workers that night. Didn't any of these stores read about what happened with the US launch?

    1. Re:Are they charging less for it in Europe? by Adelbert · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Add to that the fact that most people in the UK who wanted a PSP just purchased one from America through the wonders of eBay.

      However, the huge gaps between the Japanese, then the US, finally the EU launch mean that more UMD films and games are available at launch.

    2. Re:Are they charging less for it in Europe? by gameboyhippo · · Score: 1

      Perhaps they can play their Nintendo DS while they are waiting for customers to show up.

    3. Re:Are they charging less for it in Europe? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you fucking kidding? It's going to cost about 25% more in Europe. Enjoy your cheap hardware, Americans, and be thankful you live in a country with such low living costs.

    4. Re:Are they charging less for it in Europe? by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Were any games released for the PSP since launch? I don't think their lineup has gotten much bigger since the US launch and it looks like it won't grow within the next few months, either.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    5. Re:Are they charging less for it in Europe? by Oen_Seneg · · Score: 1

      Heck, everyone seems to have one - I was in a lift at Russell Square tube station yesterday and there were two people in there tapping away on their PSPs.

    6. Re:Are they charging less for it in Europe? by tepples · · Score: 1

      the huge gaps between the Japanese, then the US, finally the EU launch mean that more UMD films and games are available at launch.

      But how many family films (those rated the British/French/German/etc. equivalent of MPAA's G) are released on Region 2-PAL[1] UMD?

      [1] True, the PSP doesn't strictly use the PAL or NTSC video standards, but it does treat the PAL and NTSC parts of Region 2 (respectively Europe and Japan) as separate regions.

    7. Re:Are they charging less for it in Europe? by empaler · · Score: 1

      The cost of living may be lower in the states, but not compared to the lower wages they receive.

    8. Re:Are they charging less for it in Europe? by radish · · Score: 1

      Yes, lots. There are about the same number of games available for PSP as DS.

      --

      ---- Den ene knappen er powerknapp, den andre er Bender voice knapp "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass"

    9. Re:Are they charging less for it in Europe? by Guppy06 · · Score: 1

      " mean that more UMD films and games are available at launch."

      "More" in this case still doesn't mean "many."

    10. Re:Are they charging less for it in Europe? by minus_273 · · Score: 1

      err, generally things are more expensive in Europe. Look at itunes music,cars, gas and practically anything else.

      --
      The war with islam is a war on the beast
      The war on terror is a war for peace
    11. Re:Are they charging less for it in Europe? by ivan256 · · Score: 1

      Yeah. I thought that much was obvious.It was the basis of my comment's irony.

  3. So in roughly one hour? by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

    Guess if I was insane enough to try that I could waddle downtown in one hour and hope any stores here participate... But really, who wants to go/drive to a store at midnight just to get a PSP or any piece of hardware, for that matter? They won't be sold out by the time the stores usually open if the US launch is any indication.

    --
    Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    1. Re:So in roughly one hour? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are not in anywhere good???


      Al Qaeda Piracy

  4. I don't live in Europe but... by MMaestro · · Score: 2, Informative

    Its about frikin time! You'd think Sony forgot about Europe after all this time. Such a long delay is inexcuseable, especially if Sony keeps trying to downplay the DS let alone beat Nintendo at handheld war.

  5. WARNING to my European Brothers by MWoody · · Score: 3, Interesting

    When the PSP and the DS first came out, there was some question as to which would turn out to be the better purchase. Since their release, the answer has become unfortunately apparent: Nintendo is the clear winner. And I say that as a guy who first bought the PSP and then, as the months flew by with NO NEW GAMES, had to shell out the cash to buy another game system.

    The DS is technically inferior, in terms of pure computing power. However, in terms of design, it stands as a testament to which of these two companies has been doing this the longest. Nearly indestructible with a great clamshell design and two huge screens (with no $#%@#$%'in dead pixels), the DS rocks hard. What I originally dismissed as a gimmick - the touch screen - has turned out to be a blast. It's essentially a portable gaming system with a mouse. And the games... Even if we forget the pre-existing Advance library, the games for the DS have been coming fast and strong, with plenty of A-list titles.

    Now, if you want to watch movies on it, PSP of course. But if you actually like games, the choice is clear: big N all the way. I know I'm going to get accused of fanboyism here, so allow me to stress this again: I bought the PSP _first_, thinking I'd chosen the winner in this race. I was painfully wrong.

    1. Re:WARNING to my European Brothers by ZakuSage · · Score: 1, Interesting

      1) It's not about "winners" and "losers", it's about stopping a virtual monopoly in the portable market, and for that reason I'm all for PSP.

      2) DS gets dead pixles just like any other LCD screen out there. From cell phones all the way up to big screen TVs, they are all very capible of getting them.

      3) The true pointless gimmick of the DS is the 2 screens. Seriously, one big (by which I mean equal to or larger then the two DS screens combined) touch screen would've been VASTLY better.

      4) All systems are experiencing a good game drought of late. Everything's been crap the last few months.

      5) Who marked this up as informative? I don't really care what the mods say, but this is just the same as the pointless drivel that's seen all the time over at Gamefaqs by people who just don't know what they're talking about.

    2. Re:WARNING to my European Brothers by Gogo0 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      1) There are winners and losers: the consumers. Apparently the grandparent thinks he lost when he purchased a PSP.
      Just curious, but how has Nintendo's complete dominance in the handheld market hurt anyone?
      Software is cheap and plentiful, small developers are allowed to participate with cheap dev kits, the hardware is cheap and featureful, and support is better than any other by supporting the entire library of all the handhelds before it (GBA takes GB and GBC while the DS takes GBA).

      2) Not to say the DS is free of all dead pixel issues, but it is far less prevelant than on the PSP and Nintendo will replace the DS with any dead pixels.

      3) What? So you want a PSP-sized DS with a giant screen cover and a giant touch screen for $130? Good luck with that one.
      The bottom touch screen and top display screen works perfectly well, and is hardly pointless. Lets see you play Ouendan, Kirby:CC, Meteos, or Yoshi Touch and Go on the PSP. Like it or not, the touchscreen allows people to make games that can never work on the PSP or any other system without a touch interface. Learn to live with it.

      4) I have a DS and a PSP, and I can honestly say that the DS is nowhere near a drought. The launch was dead, but it has been rolling for the past few months and shows little chance of slowing down with Castlevania, Mario Kart, and others coming in the next few months.

      5) Blah Blah Blah PSP R0XX, DS SI TEH GIMECKY -you're right, it does sound like gamefaqs in here

    3. Re:WARNING to my European Brothers by ZakuSage · · Score: 1

      Apparently you don't read any lick of news. There were reports of DS dead pixles at it's launch as there was at PSP's on any good news site. Of course, after launch reports on both tend to leave these things out.

    4. Re:WARNING to my European Brothers by empaler · · Score: 1

      Even though I generally agree with you on your stance to ad. 1, I would just like to point out that the prices on N systems have been horrendous when there was little competition. Also, they told all the developers to bend over as they were now the N's little bitches.

      Apart from that, the DS can play GBA but not GB/C games.

    5. Re:WARNING to my European Brothers by Darune · · Score: 1

      Both started with a game drought, the DS is just pulling out of it's drought right now. Kirby, Polarium, Nintendogs and other good games have come out, and new ones are on the way. There is no denying that Nintendo has a virtual monopoly on the portable market, but I don't see it as a problem. It's the same kind of monopoly x86 has on the Processor market. The hardware/software is produced in huge volumes and saves money for the consumer. If people didn't want a virtual monopoly they would buy something else.

      --
      Oh crap, I'm on fire again.
    6. Re:WARNING to my European Brothers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Yeah, there were reports that Nintendo was fulfilling their promise of a zero-tolerance dead pixel system replacement policy as they said they would. There are essentially no DS owners who have dead pixels on their systems, because if their units had even one, they would return them or send them in.

      The same can not be said of Sony, the PSP, or people who bought a PSP, unfortunately for them. Maybe the UK's/Europe's laws will help PSP buyers there, but I'd also expect the price of the PSP to be much more expensive in response. All for the Chinese/Taiwanese models with as-yet non-upgradeable firmwares and Value Packs that are quite poor values. Sucks to be a European PSP buyer.

    7. Re:WARNING to my European Brothers by buffer-overflowed · · Score: 3, Insightful

      1. Riiggghhhttt. Because times were so damn awful for gaming when Nintendo ruled the roost. The NES/SNES/Genesis generation isn't considered the golden age of gaming or anything. I mean, the primary purpose of a PSP ISN'T playing decade old Nintendo games from this period.

      Nintendo got the nigh-monopoly they have on handhelds by making systems and games perfectly catered to the market. Every other system that came in did the same thing Sony is doing, and like Sony, it failed. The one system that ever made any headway was the Wonderswan, and that was just in Japan, because it also got it right.

      Seriously, Sony made the inferior(as judged by the market) product. Supporting that simply because the "virtual monopoly" made a better product is idiocy. We don't use Linux out of sheer spite towards Microsoft.

      2. And Nintendo will instantly replace your unit if you have a single dead pixel(you call, give a CC for security and they ship you out a new one and EVEN pay for return postage). Their customer service and build quality is unrivaled in the gaming industry(Gameboys, Gamecubes and DSes can take ONE hell of a fischer-price style beating). It really is. Sony would only replace PSPs with 10+ dead pixels, or you had to take it up with the retailers. Who may or may not have allowed an exchange. It was/is a night and day difference.

      3. The two screens allow the clamshell design, which serves as a built in screen protector. It also lets you cut down on vertical/horizontal height by adding a bit of width to it. Merging those into a single screen would've increased the bulk of the already bulky unit(compared to the GBA SP anyway) and given the same kind of screen scratching problems you see in the original GBA and PSP.

      4. Nintendogs, Meteos, Kirby: Canvas Curse, and Advance Wars: DS basically JUST hit. There's a lot more wierd stuff coming down the pipe as well(surgery games, lawyer games, adventure games, some PC Sim games). The PSP has Lumines and console-style games(worked great for the Nomad!). It's big title in the pipe is GTA.

      5. And yet you express extreme ignorance. Go fig.

      --
      The key to the enjoyment of pop music is to replace any instance of "love" with "C.H.U.D."
    8. Re:WARNING to my European Brothers by ZakuSage · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      It really is amazing how Nintendo fanboys will defend anything Nintendo does, as if it were as amazing as the dead rising.

    9. Re:WARNING to my European Brothers by buffer-overflowed · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Wonderful refutation. Let me guess, just as new to gaming as you are to slashdot, right?

      --
      The key to the enjoyment of pop music is to replace any instance of "love" with "C.H.U.D."
    10. Re:WARNING to my European Brothers by Guppy06 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      "It's not about "winners" and "losers", it's about stopping a virtual monopoly in the portable market, and for that reason I'm all for PSP."

      How can you Rage Against the Machine when you're working for Sony? Seriously, what next? Looking towards Microsoft to save you from the evils of Apple's near-monopoly of portable music players?

      Come back when Nintendo has abused its near monopoly and has started to rely on shady business tactics instead of making a better product, then maybe I'll care. But even then, I'm not going to look towards Sony as the "little guy"/"underdog"/"hero" in any event.

      "DS gets dead pixles just like any other LCD screen out there."

      Getting a dead pixel is one thing. Being told by a back-pedalling manufacturer that it isn't a problem (and certainly not a warranty issue) is something else. For a price tag that was 67% higher than the DS, one would expect at least an equivalent warranty policy without having to be guilt-tripped into it.

      "Seriously, one big (by which I mean equal to or larger then the two DS screens combined) touch screen would've been VASTLY better. "

      Try fitting a DS into your pocket without folding it up. You can't fold a single LCD without Bad Things happening.

      "All systems are experiencing a good game drought of late. Everything's been crap the last few months."

      The Xbox fanboys at my local EB couldn't stop spooging over Nintendogs. It doesn't interest me, personally, but it seems to have a lot of interest in general.

    11. Re:WARNING to my European Brothers by gameboyhippo · · Score: 2, Insightful

      *sigh* I think the dollar defends anything Nintendo does, not the fanboys. People are spending their dollars on Gameboys and Nintendo DSs, not PSPs. I spent my dollars on two DSs. I think I'm getting a lot of bang for my buck when I can buy a single copy of a game and play it on two DSs. You just can't do that on a PSP. Well, you can't play much of anything on a PSP except overpriced movies, which is another reason I bought 2 DSs instead of 1 PSP. I'm trying to picture me buying me the cool system and then inviting all my pals to watch Spiderman 2 on my PSP. We can sit it on top of my HDTV and hear it in glorius PSP sound. Perhaps some binoculars & hearing aids will help hype up the party. I guess it all comes down to, do you want to be cool and spend a lot of hard earned money? Or do you want to play some interesting new type a games with your friends & have fun.

    12. Re:WARNING to my European Brothers by timftbf · · Score: 1

      Funny, the primary purpose of my PSP is watching divx, although the couple of games I've bought (Ridge Racer and Mercury) are rather good. Your mileage may vary.

    13. Re:WARNING to my European Brothers by apoc06 · · Score: 1

      1. trying to play the fence. nintendos dominance has allowed them to continue to create technically difficent devices. are they fun? yes. are they solid? yes. but the innovation of the psp may finally get nintendo off of their laurels and put out a device that is stronger than what consoles could do two generations prior.

      2. its the price of the higher quality screen. sigh. luckily i dont know of anyone with a psp that has dead pixels, but thats not the problem. the problem is sony's return policy on dead pixels.

      3. i agree. the touchscreen has its use, and has been proven to work in some cases, but thats not to say that it isnt a gimmick nonetheless.

      4. all systems experience game drought during these first few months after launch. thats why backwards compatibility is a huge draw for the ds and gba. i cant wait to see the next wave of titles for both.

      5. welcome to gamefaqs-dot!

    14. Re:WARNING to my European Brothers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      1. You don't know what you are talking about. Nintendo only dominates the handheld market because they know you have to make a compromise between graphics, battery life and portability. PSP isn't inovating -- big overpowered handhelds with short battery lifes that try to go beyond games is nothing new. 2. If you are willing to pay the same price for possibly defective hardware you are an idiot. Devices that have dead pixels should be marked as such and have their price adjusted acordingly. 3. Define gimmick. Why is a touchscreen a gimmick and a big screen isn't, why aren't UMD movies gimmicks?

    15. Re:WARNING to my European Brothers by apoc06 · · Score: 1

      1. ouch... since when is current generation level gaming on a handheld, and abilities to do what no current consoles can yet do without ssome form of modding not considered innovation? [watch your own videos? browse the internet? play lan games via builtin wifi

      2. i agree with you. IMO it seems as if the problem is overblown. ive read of other people with dead pixels, but i dont know of anyone nor have i met any psp owner with any.

      3. its a gimmick because that is what it is.

      gimmick: An innovative or unusual mechanical contrivance; a gadget. http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=gimmick

      its a gimmick due to the fact that it is something that has never been done by a strictly gaming handheld in an attempt to be different. the psp itself can be considered a gimmick as well. IMHO i dont really see it as a gimmick in the sense that the psp doesnt really do anything new. its just that sony has courted the studios and has given it to us consumers portable movies more superior than what we are used to, and it gathered up a bunch of ideas that people have put into use for consoles via modding in one sleek formfactor.

      that said, the converse argument would be that handhelds are a gimmick in general. an attempt to put a console in the palm of your hands. the idea of gaming on the go is a gimmick in and of itself.

    16. Re:WARNING to my European Brothers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Come back when Nintendo has abused its near monopoly and has started to rely on shady business tactics instead of making a better product, then maybe I'll care.

      That was called 1985-1995. During that time Nintendo used business practices that make Microsoft look like a saint.

  6. Hrm, that's funny by anti-human+1 · · Score: 1

    I can't believe Sony didn't just jump to Europe early after the PSP hardly moved here in the US. My local Target and Walmart have more PSPs than they know what to do with...and forget about selling those crappy UMD movies :P

    1. Re:Hrm, that's funny by superpulpsicle · · Score: 1

      What's funny is that the PSP articles in slashdot uses a Gameboy icon. PSP gets that little respect outside Japan.

  7. Only the ill-informed will buy in shops by Andy_R · · Score: 1

    Price of the PSP in British shops tomorrow: 179.99 GBP
    Price of import PSP from Liksang.com (free shipping) available months ago: $249.90 = 138.539 GBP

    Oh, and just in case you are still not convinced, how about thisa little gem from the Game website: "Please note we only have stock available for those who have already preordered."

    --
    A pizza of radius z and thickness a has a volume of pi z z a
    1. Re:Only the ill-informed will buy in shops by empaler · · Score: 1

      Also, the EU-version is probably with firmware 2.0... No homebrew apps.

    2. Re:Only the ill-informed will buy in shops by radish · · Score: 4, Informative

      That's 138GBP + VAT, delivery & import duty. My calculations put that at around 175GBP or so, more if you want fast shipping.

      The 179.99 price is fully inclusive.

      --

      ---- Den ene knappen er powerknapp, den andre er Bender voice knapp "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass"

    3. Re:Only the ill-informed will buy in shops by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Not necessarily, while Lik-Sang's packets usually get stopped by customs they seem to have figured out how to get them through unnoticed, my last packet from them arrived without customs demanding any money.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    4. Re:Only the ill-informed will buy in shops by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Moreover...

      If you buy locally, rather than via an importer, you get a couple of other advantages as well. If you have a screen full of dead pixels, it's faster and easier to exchange your device.

      Games may not be region-locked, but UMD movies are. Get a UK device and you can play movies purchased in any UK high-street store.

      If you import, you'll also need a power adaptor so you can charge the device. Granted, these are pretty cheap these days, but it's still a couple of extra £ on the price.

      The only significant disadvantage to buying locally is that you'll get the 1.52 firmware by default - so no homebrew. However, I suspect that at least 95% of the people who buy a PSP today will never try to run a homebrew app, or even find out what version their firmware is.

  8. The UK PSP Owners Miss Out and Get Ripped Off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Its just a pity that the UK & Europe are stuck with v1.52 PSPs that cant run all the Brilliant Homebrew and Emulators for the PSP including tonight the release of an Atari ST Emulator for the PSP, theres also discussion today that certain Firmware versions of the PSP Can Play UMD Films from all Regions. One final thing the PSP is being sold in the UK for £179 (if you can get one) but Success HK are selling it for $239 or £125. Why is the UK still being ripped off :(

    1. Re:The UK PSP Owners Miss Out and Get Ripped Off by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      1.52? Boo! I'd have expected 2.0 at least.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    2. Re:The UK PSP Owners Miss Out and Get Ripped Off by iainl · · Score: 1

      2.0 is in the box, on the demo disc that comes with it. For some curious reason (probably just that 2.0 was finished too late for manufacture) they shipped with 1.52 in the firmware itself, then ask you to upgrade it.

      If 1.52 turns out to be easier to exploit in order to get homebrew code running, this is going to actually be a good thing.

      --
      "I Know You Are But What Am I?"
  9. Its a Shame That Sony Killed off Homebrew by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sony could have left the ability to use Homebrew On the PSP but no they had to kill any hope for UK and Europe to enjoy some of the many great releases by amateur coders.

  10. Sony Killed Off Homebrew by Busshy · · Score: 1

    Its a shame that Sony killed of any chance to try Homebrew On the PSP with the release of the new firmware. If only a manufacturer would embrace the fact that people like to see weird and wacky games ported to whatever console they have just brought.

    1. Re:Sony Killed Off Homebrew by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well duh! Sony make a stonking huge loss on each unit sold. It is not in their best interest to allow home-brew apps to run no matter how cool it may be.

      Do we not remember that Sony took a hit to theri credit rating when the price point of the PSP was announced.

  11. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  12. The thing is... by Zeussy · · Score: 1

    The PSP is basically a portable PS2 (to all intents and purposes) and I think that is what gives the DS an advantage. As it has the completely different playing style. While your on the move do you want to play games in the same style you could at home, or something different? That is why I could by a DS over a PSP no-matter what Sony tries to market.

    --
    Automation - The Car Company Tycoon Game
  13. So now everyone has a chance to... by rAiNsT0rm · · Score: 1

    be as bummed that after $350 and playing Lumines that there is little else to do with your PSP except to hack it to play old gameboy/NES titles or browse the web wirelessly on a tiny screen and complete with "out of memory" errors! Yay! whatever.

    --
    http://teasphere.wordpress.com - A little spot of tea
  14. Wonderswan by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Not sure if it is the primary reason, but a good reason for the Wonderswan's success is its creator, Gunpei Yokoi. You might remember him. Developed the D-Pad, those extending gripping arms, and a little thing called the Game Boy.

    The Game Boy was certainly one of his best inventions. Unfortunately, his attempts at a 3D version (Virtual Boy) got panned heavily. Now the black sheep of Nintendo, he eventually left the company.

    In a new company, he helped to develop the Wonderswan. Having the same designer of a very successful handheld was beneficial. Having had a failure might have also given him some pointers.

    Unfortunately, Gunpei Yokoi died in 1997 as a result of two car accidents. He was examining the damage of the first when a second driver hit him. It was a terrible loss to the gaming world.

    R.I.P., Yokoi.

  15. The price where I come from... by LordVader717 · · Score: 1

    249 Euros for a Value Pack, which is 310 Dollars.

    Music UMD 18 Euros --> 22 Dollars
    Movie UMD 20-25 Euros --> 25-30 Dollars

    The cheapest games are forty Euros, so fifty Dollars, and many third party games are 50 Euros, or 62 Dollars.

    I even saw Spider Man for 60 Euros, which works out as a whopping 75 Dollars.