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First UMD Movie/Game Combo
Gamespot is reporting that, for the first time, Sony is selling a combo UMD movie/game disc. For about $40 you get three levels of Wipeout: Pure and the craptacular film "Stealth", which didn't even manage a 30% recoup on the film's budget. From the article: "On November 15, Sony will release the military sci-fi film Stealth, which slipped under most summer moviegoers' radar, on UMD. The portable version of the $130-million-budget, $31-million-grossing film will come with the first three levels of the best-selling PSP racing game Wipeout Pure. It will also feature a "Stealth" track not found in the regular version of the game, which will let players race as the advanced fighter jet from Stealth."
I thought the jet was able to pilot itself. Why would it let a stupid human control it?
Pay *me* $40, and I'll think about it...
ABSURDITY, n.: A statement or belief manifestly inconsistent with one's own opinion.
Van Helsing...
I popped that movie into my Xbox and up came a screen asking if I wanted to play the game or the movie
My UID is prime... is yours?
... is that the introduction of a PSP magazine with a playable demo UMD on the front cover is a possibility. I know I would be keen on paying $8-$10 for the option of trying out half a dozen PSP games just to see if I'm happy with the control scheme or the framerate or simply the game itself.
Promote the UMDs that no one wants, or sell a 3 level demo for half what the game would cost... either way, it's a shitty deal.
"Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I'm fucked."; ~ Donald J. Trump
It's gotta be door number one. It's not like a 'special edition' of a piece of shit movie is going to make people want to buy it.
"Okay so Stealth was a utterly horid movie, BUT I can watch the trailer AND a behind the scenes special, where is my credit card?"
err I meant for what the whole game would cost, not half...
"Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I'm fucked."; ~ Donald J. Trump
"Promote the UMDs that no one wants, or sell a 3 level demo for half what the game would cost... either way, it's a shitty deal."
It really is a bummer that Sony didn't think this through a little more. They've got 1.8 gigs to play with here. They have enough space to encode both a PSP version and a TV version of a movie on any given UMD. They could even swing the extras etc. Then they could have included a video out on the PSP (or maybe a peripheral...) so that UMD movies could be played on it. Then they could have made a DVD/UMD combo player. That would have been kinda neat. You could buy UMDs INSTEAD of DVDs. Heck, I might have gone for that.
Oh well.
"Derp de derp."
Note, not THIS movie.
But if I could buy Spiderman 2 and the Spiderman 2 game on one disc for $50 I would consider it over the $40 game. Or if I could buy a music game (something like Amplitude) and it had the music videos for all the tracks on the disc, I would be willing to pay more for that.
Now of course, they don't offer that. And licensed games basically are ALWAYS TERRIBLE. There are a handfull of exceptions (Spideman 1/2, for example), but by and large they are terrible. They'd still sell very well (those games always do, especially the ones for little kinds because the parents don't look into if the game is GOOD, it just matters that it has Spongebob).
The real problem is that the movie content takes up basically all the disc, so you'd need to ship it in a two disc package (one for the movie, and one for the game) which would just be an excuse to hike the price (but we have to make TWO discs!).
This could work well, especially if they could come up with some more creative uses, but based on this first effort it looks like it will be used to prop up failing movie properties with game demos. Hazaah.
So as long as you are making a glorified demo disc, how 'bout dropping the cruddy movie and selling a disc of 20 working demos of new games for $5 or $10? I am MUCH more likely to buy a game I've played (thus know the quality of) than one I haven't. Demos have done great things for many computer games (can you say Doom?). Now that we have the technology, I don't know why we don't see this more with video games. The DS and PSP can both do it (including wirelessly), and they game companies say they will do that, but they don't (at least not in the US, I hear the DS can get demos at various shops/kiosks and movies in Japan over wireless). I have broadband. Let me try a game if I want to? How does giving me a chance to get hooked hurt your bottom line?
Too bad so many of these companies aren't run by games, or anyone with half a clue. Bad movie + game demo = $60. Yeah right. More like this: bad movie + game demo = $5.
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
Some data on the movie, from imdb:
User rating: 4'5 out of 10, with 605 people giving it the lowest score avaliable.
Budget $130M, gross $31M, confirming the blurb.
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That Sony will burying these UMDs next to those E.T. cartridges and Jar Jar Binks figurines.
Why would you want to only have 3 levels of the best racing game for the price of a horrible movie. Wouldn't it just be wiser to purchase the racing game? If they were thinking that maybe someone who kind of wanted to see the movie would then be thrown over the edge with the inclusion of 3 levels of a game, I think they were dead wrong. Most people would just wait for it to get on tv, get a torrent (I mean... legally), or rent it. I don't know about you guys, but it seems to me like they are trying to sell someone a bottle of 80% water and 20% rum thinking people will want the water more.
Yea, they definitely aren't thinking the whole "promote the format" thing through. If they don't think beyond the PSP (which I quite enjoy as a gaming console btw) they will not get the market penetration they need.
Maybe they think they'll sell the format to TV stations like they did Betamax?
(for the uninformed, Betamax survives to this day in another form as a Broadcast format (or at least it did last time I set foot in a Television studio, which admittedly was several years ago)
"Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I'm fucked."; ~ Donald J. Trump
Whats the point to this? Take a bomb movie and try something risky with it? I guess they just dont expect anything to happen but i'd be pissed if I was the guy who said "lets make a movie/video game combo!" and hear that the package was "stealth" jeez.
Not only is it a bad movie, plus an abreviation of a game that's short enough, but it also patches your firmware to v2.0. Like playing your NES and SNES roms on the go? Tough luck; go buy a laptop.
Sony is desperately trying to get content out for the PSP. I think it's rather telling that the DS has 8 games coming for it this holiday season that I want to buy, while the PSP has only 2 games worth getting (IMO; Lumines and Metal Gear Acid). Otherwise the only reason to have it is for the decent NES emulation available on it (and less decent SNES emulation).
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Internet Explorer (n): Another bug -- that is, a feature that can't be turned off -- in Windows.
Is there some list somewhere that I can tell what may upgrade my firmware? My 1.5 firmware is precious to me. Thank god there are no games out that I want, then I might have to consider an update.
However, how does this firmware update work? Does it tell you? Does it say it on the box? Is there a list on the net?
Help! Don't let me lose SCUMMVM!
-- I have fans? Wow.
I'd say watch out. AFAIK, newer games are starting to require a firmware update. GTA: Liberty City Stories will be requiring it. I would expect that all the future UMD games will have them built in.
The Sony updater is designed to update if the version is >= to the current one, so they'd have no problem putting forced updaters on discs and forgetting about it.
My answer is simple: I do not buy UMD games. I bought my PSP used with a memory card because I wanted to run homebrew on it anyways. The actual games for the PSP have nothing I want.
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Internet Explorer (n): Another bug -- that is, a feature that can't be turned off -- in Windows.
A video out would have made it a dream machine. Hell, I rarely ever watch anything on my nice laptop screen, and use the video out whenever I can, and it's a nice 15" Powerbook screen. And really, I mostly use the PSP for Nintendo games, at least until I can get Burnout or GTA on the thing.
Sony's general closeminded attitude with the PSP firmware and propietary formats baffles me.
When did the future switch from being a promise to a threat? -C. Palahniuk
What they should do is make an addon for the ps2 that lets you play UMD movies and games. Kinda like what nintendo had for the gamecube that let you play GBA games. They could have used the expansion bay but they nixed it with the slim ps2
I've always thought it interesting that people would pay twice as much for a UMD when they can get it on a DVD for cheaper, and it can be played on a plethora of different devices, not JUST a $300 hand-held toy.
"Potpourii doesn't taste as good as it smells." - Dark_Link2135
What they should do is make an addon for the ps2 that lets you play UMD movies and games. Kinda like what nintendo had for the gamecube that let you play GBA games.
Insert any GBA Video cartridge into the GameCube Game Boy Player accessory and you get an error message "NOT COMPATIBLE WITH GAME BOY PLAYER".
Then they could have included a video out on the PSP
So how would they have afforded to license the Macrovision patents for each unit so that people don't run the TV output into a VCR or DVD Video recorder?
(or maybe a peripheral...)
How well did the DVD Video peripheral for Xbox sell?
"slipped under most summer moviegoers' radar," == "such a relentless piece of shit nobody bothered to go see it" ?
Snowden and Manning are heroes.
Like playing your NES and SNES roms on the go? Tough luck; go buy a
And though Nintendo has released a new firmware in the Chinese "iQue DS" units and in the Japanese "Jump Super Stars Special Edition" units, those are 1. not yet sold in North America, 2. already cracked, and 3. irrelevant for emulators that also work on GBA such as PocketNES.
No, no, no... It didn't slip under anybody's radar. That movie showed up on theater-goer's scopes like a great big 747 of suck.
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In X-Windows the client serves YOU!
I use it for my DS games, and occasionally GBA games. I prefer my SP for playing GBA games since the DS makes them look washed out (the palette doesn't seem correct).
:)
To use a NES/SNES emulator on my SP or DS, I'd still need a flash cart and a method for getting roms onto it. For the 190$ CDN I paid for my 1.5 firmware PSP and 512mb MSPDuo, I think I got a good deal. The screen on the PSP alone is a good reason to get playing NES/SNES games on the PSP!
If it weren't for homebrew, there'd be no reason to run a PSP. Thankfully, Nintendo doesn't suck
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Internet Explorer (n): Another bug -- that is, a feature that can't be turned off -- in Windows.
I bought it used from someone. Most video game stores don't offer much to people, because they need to protect their margins. For example, EB will give you 175$ for a PSP of store credit; they then sell it for 229$ ish and pocket the 55$ for store profits and in case you trade in garbage.
I was able to do the same thing with textbooks to avoid having to pay out my ass; I bought a complete set of my chem text, student solutions manual, and study guide for 60$ (MSRP: 200$ new) because I offered a bit more than the cash for books lady (who offers 50% of new, if everything's in perfect condition, and won't buy a lot of stuff like the study guide and solutions manual).
Lots of people want to get rid of stuff, and are willing to part with it for not very much money. Take the time to scout where this stuff happens and go for it. EB gives 75$ for a Nintendo DS system. I bet you could beat that if you want to!
I will warn you; my DS is scratched on the case, and my PSP is also scuffed a bit (nothing on the screen, but it's not the same as a new one).
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Internet Explorer (n): Another bug -- that is, a feature that can't be turned off -- in Windows.
Okay, if nobody went to see the crappy movie in theaters, why are they going to spend 20 bucks on the crappy UMD? Why not just buy the whole version of wipeout?
Might be a licensing problem (someone else has the exclusive rights to the TV version already) but in the case of the UMD movies the UMD publisher is the same as the DVD publisher.
Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
Sure, in the '80's, the tapes were the same, but the encoding (and resulting quality) are completely different, and nobody uses regular Betacam anymore anyway.
Every single odd, nonstandard, wierd, whatever media format that you can't easily write yourself has failed miserably. You'd think sony would have learned with the minidisc fiasco. Yes, I know minidisc is used by pros. Thanks.
Why the hell would I spend $40 or even $20 or even $15 when I can get the movie in DVD?
..don't panic
For the 190$ CDN I paid for my 1.5 firmware PSP
As the limited quantities of PSP systems with version 1.5 firmware fall into the hands of collectors, wouldn't the price tend to go up over time? Or where can I find an affordable Dreamcast broadband adapter?
It's a copy protection issue, as the Cube can't output gain-control copy distortion signals. Or did you expect Sony to put TV-out on the PSP and then pay Macrovision royalties for every PSP sold?
UMD movies ARE failing, which is why Sony is hoping that by bundling a game demo with them, they might sell better.
The problem is, without video out capabilities on the PSP, the UMD movie was doomed from the start.
Honestly, watching any video on a small screen, regardless of whether its the PSP or some other device, especially Cell phones is doomed. Personally I just find that it gives me a head ache after a few minutes. Having to hold a device in your hand for 2 hours and craning your neck to watch the move is not how I want to watch them. Perhaps short TV shows or clips are about all mobile devices are good for, but full length feature films will never work on very small screens.
If Sony was serious about UMD as a movie distribution format, they would have both made the PSP plug into home theater systems AND released stand alone UMD components for home theater systems to improve adoption.
As it stands, UMD movies are a failed gimmick to try and sell more PSP's, Sony will try a few more tricks before ultimately the will give up the UMD movie format.
I haven't thought of anything clever to put here, but then again most of you haven't either.
For an extra $10 you can get a deluxe edition that *doesn't* come with the movie.
erroneous: look me up in a dictionary
Hahaha. Owned. Get a real portable.
Finally the PSP has been given the flexibility it needs to become an all-in-one media device. /sarcasm
Anyway, it's great to see Sony trying new things to try and sell games -- package them with a UMD! Then the gamers are forced to buy them, thus pushing up the game sales numbers to better compete with DS. However, I have to object to the strategy of packaging a crappy movie with crappy games (Wipeout exlcuded), with hopes that crap will somehow cancel out crap.
Tokyopia gave a review in July of some of the first UMD pr0n coming out from Japan. They also come with an, ahem, game of sorts...