The UMD and PSP Getting Off The Ground

1up is running a piece examining Hollywood's relationship with Sony's UMD format. From the article: "Two UMD movies sold 100,000 units within two months. By contrast, one of the earliest DVD releases, Air Force One, took nine to achieve the same goal. DVD and ticket sales are on the decline, Hollywood needs a new source of revenue while they pick up the pieces, and PSP's handheld UMD format is turning into the glowing solution." Relatedly, Next Generation is running an article taking a look at the increasing quality of original games coming out for Sony's handheld. From the article: "After an embarrassingly slow start, the PSP has begun to find its niche with developers; likewise, Sony's internal studios and publishing division have gotten really adventuresome lately, with big and little games, both in tested genres and genres those games serve to test."

Comments

Just say "no"...

[badasscat]

...to proprietary media formats.

I'm using the term "proprietary" loosely, of course... but buy into any media format that's tied to one specific device, and it's a given that someday you're going to have a stack of media that you can't play and a much lighter bank account to go with it.

Bwah?

[Momoru]

Anyone who has purchased one of these care to explain the reasoning? The PSP is cool, but I just dont understand why anyone would buy a movie that can only be watched on it, when DVD + laptop works perfectly well. The Spiderman 2 disc is neat to wow people with but i mean how many times can i watch the same movie on the same portable system? Especially since I got the system for gaming...

Er...

[Dachannien]

Why would people be *more* likely to buy an overpriced low-quality version of a movie that they can only watch on their PSP when they could just buy the DVD and watch it on their fantabulous home theater system?

Any high sales at the moment are probably solely due to novelty. Once the novelty wears off, sales will drop off (rather dramatically, I'm guessing). In any case, this isn't going to be a cash cow for Hollywood, as the studios will be less likely to sell a DVD for every UMD they sell of the same movie.

PSP=Gamecube of the Handhelds.

[kinglink]

Let's face it people the PSP has a serious problem with games, this is the same problem you laughed at the Game Cube about, but you defend it now? The problem is you don't have people who know how to make handhelds in charge of it.

Nintendo risked a bit with the 2 screens, but notice where they are? Notice they know how to use it. Nintendogs is genius. They tried something big, and it's worked. Sony can't have something like that, they don't have the capablities for it on this system.

It's the same with the Revolution, if Nintendo gets third party in and sees it's a great idea you'll see a shift in power. And they can likely do it. What they need to let out is numbers for the systems and get the dev kits out, I don't know if they have done either, but once that starts it could be something good. It's going to be hard, but let's be honest, if you think games are good now, your kidding yourself, all we are getting are games similar to what we've been seeing for the last 20 years. This might actually give us something different.

The problem is PSP should stand for PS Ports. They might have GTA Liberty City Stories but they need more than one unique game to hold this system together and they failed that test so far. The only game I want for the PSP is Lumines and maybe Liberty City Stories. Where as the DS definatly has the games, and the backwards compatibility too.

They should have allowed everyone to put their own apps on the system. Would Java have worked if they locked it down? Imagine if you can run anything on the PSP and enjoy programming for it? but of course Sony doesn't want freedom (remember they have a huge invested interest in RIAA.)

Ngage failed for the similar reason in the game department, but the PSP is competition for the DS which is good, but it's not going to beat it though. Nintendo is entrenched here where they wern't on the 64. They use the older archaic format for the Handhelds, but I've noticed it's the one that works the best. You can't damage a cartridge like you can easily scratch a disk. I've scratched many discs accidently, nothing horrible but I've done it, I've never ever damaged a cart, even when trying... And when your transporting this stuff, you're going to scratch it after a while.

The more we glorify their attempts at trying to make it live, the worse it will do when it crashes. UMD is a good idea, if they can make other players and get the cost down. I'm not going to pay twice the price (I get DVDs at places like walmart.. 15 bucks a piece on the day it gets released) just so it's portable. That's obscene.

Re:PSP=Gamecube of the Handhelds.

[oGMo]

Let's face it people the PSP has a serious problem with games

It does? Which problem would that be?

this is the same problem you laughed at the Game Cube about, but you defend it now

OK, presumably you mean "the lack of games for the GameCube". However, I have about as many PSP games now as I have bought over the entire life of the Cube. Perhaps you mean "games I like", which may be perfectly valid for you, but irrelevant for the rest of us. No one is forcing you to buy one, but there are tons of games others enjoy.

Nintendo risked a bit with the 2 screens, but notice where they are? Notice they know how to use it. Nintendogs is genius. They tried something big, and it's worked. Sony can't have something like that, they don't have the capablities for it on this system.

That's nice. You like Nintendogs. A lot of people don't have any interest in an oversized tamagotchi. I, for instance, would be more interested in Super Mario Bros, Castlevania, or Advance Wars.

It's also a bit silly to assert you can't have a pet game for the PSP simply because you don't have two LCDs.

It's the same with the Revolution, if Nintendo gets third party in and sees it's a great idea you'll see a shift in power. And they can likely do it. What they need to let out is numbers for the systems and get the dev kits out, I don't know if they have done either, but once that starts it could be something good. It's going to be hard, but let's be honest, if you think games are good now, your kidding yourself, all we are getting are games similar to what we've been seeing for the last 20 years. This might actually give us something different.

Ah yes, if, if, if. If they do all the right things, and happen to generate the right interest, and things happen to fall their way, it'll be great! It's so simple! But it's not. Generalities are nice, but it's actually pulling through in the implementation of them that's difficult. It's easy for an armchair enthusiast to comment about what they'd do, especially when they know nothing about what it takes to actually accomplish it. You seem to think Nintendo is stupid, and that it's not trying to do these things. I'm sure the random advice of a slashdotter would help them immensely.

The problem is PSP should stand for PS Ports. They might have GTA Liberty City Stories but they need more than one unique game to hold this system together and they failed that test so far.

Oh? Which ports would you be referring to? Mercury? Lumines? Metal Gear: Acid? Untold Legends? Wipeout Pure? Twisted Metal: Hands On? Hotshots Golf? Ridge Racer? Yes, a few of these games are sequels or have related series. (But then, the DS does too, right? Yoshi? Mario? Metroid? Castlevania? Advance wars?) There are also a few direct ports: THUG2 and Ape Escape. But I can see why two ports mean the system should be called the "PS Ports".

The only game I want for the PSP is Lumines and maybe Liberty City Stories. Where as the DS definatly has the games, and the backwards compatibility too.

Ah, here's the confusion. "The only game I want." Well, guess what? You're not the only person in the world. Possibly not even the only gamer. The PSP lineup appeals to a lot of people.

Also, the PSP doesn't really have something to be backward-compatible with, yet, but that is a nice feature of the DS. (Although why they elected to disallow multiplayer link games is boggling.)

They should have allowed everyone to put their own apps on the system. Would Java have worked if they locked it down? Imagine if you can run anything on the PSP and enjoy programming for it? but of course Sony doesn't want freedom (remember they have a huge invested

Holywood FUD

[Serapth]

"DVD and ticket sales are on the decline, Hollywood needs a new source of revenue while they pick up the pieces"

God I hate this little fact people like to bandy about. Tinsel town is not hurting in the slightest, here are yearly box office sales from the last half dozen or so years ( thanks to boxofficemojo.com ).
2004 9.4 billion
2003 9.1 billion
2002 9.1 billion
2001 8.4 billion
2000 7.6 billion
1999 7.4 billion
1998 6.9 billion


See... where I come from, when the number keeps going up and up, we dont call that shrinking... grrr.

Re:Holywood FUD

[Momoru]

Those numbers may not be declining, but they are certainly flatlining, which could be forcasted as an eventual decline. Look at the growth... it was growing at least 10% a year until 2002, where it grew 0%, and then only 3% or so the next year. 3% or less growth is considered failing in the business world.

Apples to oranges and red herrings

[Red Flayer]

"Two UMD movies sold 100,000 units within two months. By contrast, one of the earliest DVD releases, Air Force One, took nine to achieve the same goal."

This comparison is not relevant.

First, the DVD player was a single-function appliance, and had to be adopted before people would buy one. The PSP was released as a game platform, so it was adopted by many more people.

Second, the DVD competed with a tech that already had very deep market saturation -- videocassettes. Early adopters had already invested in laser-discs and been burned. Adoption of DVD players was slower due to these factors. The PSP, on the other hand, competes (in re: movies) with portable DVD players, which do not have as deep market saturation.

"DVD and ticket sales are on the decline, Hollywood needs a new source of revenue while they pick up the pieces, and PSP's handheld UMD format is turning into the glowing solution"

Except of course, that the UMD format is not a new source of revenue. It is a new distribution method for an old source of revenue -- movie titles for portable video players.

The reason that UMD-format sales of selected movies have been high? Because the titles released are targeted to the same market as the PSP. Why doesn't the article reference the top-selling DVDs sold within the first few months of sale?

The reason people pay high prices for UMD-format movies? Because it beats paying $400 for a portable DVD player that (1) serves no other function and (2) takes up even more space in the pocketbook/bookbag/tote/man-purse.