PSP to Get Classic Game Download Service

Krishna Dagli writes to mention an Ars Technica story about a classic game download service for the PSP. It's supposed to work with the PS3 as well, and will at this point mostly consist of old PS1 titles. From the article: "According to Kawanishi, the new service will work either through a PC with a broadband connection, or through the PlayStation 3 itself. The user will be able to download games designed for the original PlayStation 1, which according to the Sony head works well. 'As for emulation power there is no problem,' he said, although he added that some changes have to be made to the games because the PSP only has a single analog stick and fewer control buttons than the PS1. He did not mention which titles would be made available, but he mentioned how Amazon had a list of "all books," indicating that Sony probably wants to put a large number of games on the service."

Comments

Great

[MooseMuffin]

Now I can play ps1 games on my already-backwards-compatable ps3!

My advice:

[RichPowers]

It seems more and more consoles are providing classic game download services. This means that copyright holders will have a vested interest in shutting down ROM and Emulator sites, for these will take away business from the "legal" download service. So download ROMS while you can, before the packs of lawyers start searching for targets.

Re:My advice:

[Abcd1234]

So download ROMS while you can, before the packs of lawyers start searching for targets.

Or, god forbid, buy a copy.

Re:My advice:

[tacarat]

It'll be interesting to see [i]who[/i] the copyright holders are, especially for dead companies. Still, it's nice to see that there's finally going to be some action on this. I hate the idea of folks getting sued/arrested because a company is "defending" the copyright to a game that they won't publish anymore and isn't in the stores. Of course, I'll be equally PO'd if they try to sell them at premium collector's prices too.

Re:My advice:

[puddpunk]

Also, I find it amusing that you don't trust E-Bay or second hand sites but a bunch of pirates and their warez on their spyware-ridden sites are a-ok?

Re:My advice:

[gutnor]

Not very difficult to avoid spywares. Especially because ROM, once you get them, cannot really be infected since they run in an emulator which is generally an open source project you download from sourceforge directly.

However there is more potential trouble using EBay and you are using real money in the real world. EBay is just an interface that put you in contact with person and you cannot just run "McAffee something" to filter the crap.

That said, I don't think there is a lot of problem on EBay for that kind of product. There is not much money involved and limited market. And I guess finally this just an excuse: it is much more convenient to download several ROM and play everything on you PC whenever you want it, than keeping for 2 or 3 old consoles hooked on the TV.

Sony Innovation

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't know why Sony keeps getting such a hard rap. I haven't seen any of the other game makers providing innovations like being able to download old games.

In all seriousness though, there's a huge difference between downloading a game that's a few hundred kilobytes, and is not available in any stores anymore (Except ebay), and downloading a game that is the size of a CD, and is probably still available used at many B&M stores.

Sony fails again...

Re:Sony Innovation

[zarthrag]

I don't know why Sony keeps getting such a hard rap. I haven't seen any of the other game makers providing innovations like being able to download old games.

Nin-ten-do, they're developing this console called the Wii....perhaps you've heard of it?

Re:Sony Innovation

[Manmademan]

i know this was a joke, but Valkyrie profile was just re-released last month on PSP and is quite good. It's also getting a sequel on Ps2 in a couple of weeks.

Re:Sony Innovation

[powerlord]

Well ... considering Sony's first entry into the Console arena WAS the PS1, just which games should they be providing?

They will probably make other games available later on, but remember that part of the issue is not just providing a game that can be downloaded for the PSP, and porting the controls (or creating a universal way to handle porting the controls ... which probably won't work), but creating the infrastructure and network that can support this sort of thing. Since they are already creating it for the PS3, it makes sense to tie in the PSP.

The article also mentions that you can download UMD movies (i.e. to a memory stick and the computer/PS3's hard-drive ... probably the reason the HD was NOT optional on the PS3, unlike the XBox360). Yeah, they are still DRM encumbered (as are the games), but this seems like a great step in the right direction (depending on the price).

The fact that they expect the service to work either through a PC or the PS3 also underscores the idea of making the PSP and PS3 integrate (and perhaps explains Sony's position that the PS3 is a computer, not merely a "console"). Personally I think it bodes well for the platform.

Re:Sony Innovation

[Volante3192]

Damn it Nintendo! Stop going forward in time and stealing Sony's ideas!

Re:Sony Innovation

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

"I don't know why Sony keeps getting such a hard rap."

- $600.
- Blu-Ray.
- Delays.
- Controller.
- Root-kit.
- Real-time weapon switch.

Re:and the sound you hear are the crickets....

[oahazmatt]

because no one will buy a psp anymore....

I despise the machine, but refuse to say no one will buy it. Also, it increases the game library for the system. It's no different from Nintendo releasing their NES line for the GBA. And yes, homebrew kits allowed for emulation of older content prior to this, but this one is actually...

*looks about... whispers*

Legal.

Re:bound to fail

[Manmademan]

maybe to support the people who's hard work went into the games? Just a thought.

Very interesting interview

[antifoidulus]

I read the original Japanese interview*(well kinda sorta, I'm not going to pretend my Japanese is good enough to grasp 100% of it, but I did get the gist of what he was saying). He goes on and on about whether or not the network will be able to handle all the data and states that they are compressing cd audio and whatnot to get the file size down. However, he didn't seem to address the fact that people's memory sticks are at most 1 gig. Are they going to be able to squeeze all that content onto a memory stick?

At any rate, the emulator was only a small part of the interview. Most of it focuses on the interaction between the PS3 and PSP. He went so far as to say that the PS3 will be like a home server and the PSP will be like a PDA/cell phone. He even said that users would store their movies on the ps3 and then could download the ones they want onto the psp. He also dismissed PC emulation but started talking about cell phones again.

In fact, he talked a lot about cell phones and how he envisions the future of portable media. So much in fact the interviewer asked him if he thought it would be possible to combine psp and cell phone technology and his answer was that "I think that is one possibility"(again rough translation). So I guess we won't be surprised if a few years down the road we see a psphone.

Re:Very interesting interview

[Mongoose]

Actually if you have a PSX ( japan only ) you can save your DVR / movies to your PSP already. In fact the PSP interface is from PSX. It would be hard for them not to do something a PS2 with DVR ( PSX ) could do on the PS3. It just makes sense. If the US had PSX then the PSP might be even more popular.

Re:missing 2 buttons

[MoriaOrc]

this is honestly a big deal, the lack of R2 and L2, as well as no right hand stick is going to flat out cut out a number of games from being played this way.

The analog sticks where barely even used on the PS1. And the games that did always worked fine with the classic DPad controller anyway. (Don't forget, PS1 didn't get the dual shock for quite a while).

As for L2/R2, that is a pretty big problem. Best solution I can think of off the top of my head is, analog stick for movement (replaces D-Pad), and use some of the PSP's DPad to replace the missing buttons (but that's very awkward).

Oh well, it all comes down to how they pull it off, if it is done correctly, then I can see this realy boosting PSP sales (there are some GOOD PS1 games out there).

I have a PSP, and I'd say that if this takes off and gets some good games in it, I would seriously consider getting a bigger memory stick (since I doubt the 32-meg it came with would work all that well for storing games), and even re-buying one or two of my old PS1 games (plus there were certainly quite a few good games in that generation I missed anyway).

Hell, I was already planning to buy Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth as soon as Best Buy (which I wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole if I didn't have a 50$ gift card to spend) gets it back in stock, and it's supposed to be a "Remake with better cutscenes" deal (think the FF:Anthologies/Origins for PSX).

Emulators are useful for developing homebrew

[tepples]

while emulators haven't received a lot of legal attention in the past, IP holders

I am an IP holder; my IP is 69.246.213.81, leased from my ISP. If you are referring to copyright, say "copyright". And yes, I am a copyright owner as well.

may also start attacking them as "adjuncts to piracy".

Could Microsoft reasonably attack Bochs, claiming that it "enables" the use of unauthorized copies of MS-DOS? No, because FreeDOS (which recently turned 1.0) works on Bochs. Likewise, when I use VisualBoyAdvance to run my own programs and others', whose copyright am I infringing?

120 MB of game and the rest compresses nicely

[tepples]

they are compressing cd audio and whatnot to get the file size down. However, he didn't seem to address the fact that people's memory sticks are at most 1 gig. Are they going to be able to squeeze all that content onto a memory stick?

A lot of games for PlayStation used either Red Book CD audio, which compresses by about 11:1 when converted to a 128 kbps ATRAC stream (where the sound effects cover up any lingering artifacts), or XA ADPCM audio (especially in Capcom games), which compresses by about 3:1, or VAG audio (especially in Konami's Dance Dance Revolution series), which also compresses by about 3:1. These games had 120 MB or less of data and the rest was streaming music.

Re:bound to fail

[Sku-Lad]

I'd be interested to see a breakdown of how much goes to Sony and how much goes back to the designers (if they even exist anymore...)

So then I'm not the only one who thinks that Sony kills their developers after they've outlived their usefulness.

Re:and the sound you hear are the crickets....

[be-fan]

1) Total. The DS has sold 22m units, the PSP has shipped 20m units. Hence the 10% off bit.

2) The "shipped" vs "sold" distinction is one I've heard before, and one that reaks if idiocy. Do you know how expensive it is to keep unsold inventory around? There are entire classes management folks take on how to avoid standing inventory. Moreover, its not like Walmart will order more PSPs (causing the shipped count to increase), before it sells the ones it has. Thus, the number of units shipped should be very close to the number of units sold.

Re:missing 2 buttons

[AlexanderDitto]

You're missing MY point. The fact that people have used the Wiimote, and critiqued it, citing it's problems, it's strengths and weaknesses, indicates that it is beyond marketing hype. It is a thing, an object which exists in this world and on this planet and will be hitting stores in a few months. If it were marketing hype, no one would be able to report on how successful it actually is, or how well it works.

Which, coincidentally, seems to be afflicting the PS3's Amazing Motion Control Sensor Controller, which I have seen reviewed or used no where at all.

You say that Nintendo has actually done the motion-sensitive controllers, but I don't seem to be able to find them.

This is what I was responding to. Nintendo has indeed "done" their controllers, perhaps much like a baker's cookies are done. They are visible, they are cooling on the windowsill, and several people have nibbled at their exteriors. The PS3's controllers, on the other hand, are shockingly similar to a cake batter made by Schrodinger. Perhaps motion sensitivity exists? Will it ever make a cake? Will anyone actually eat it? Questions as of yet unanswered, unadressed by the media and the public at large.

Re:bound to fail

[iainl]

Short answer? Because this is for PS1 games on the PSP, and there is (a) no current PS1 emulator for the PSP, (ii) Sony are actually doing a bit of work on the conversion to sort out the way the controls will map to a single analogue and two triggers and (3) I can't find a copy of Symphony Of The Night in any shop here anyway, as it was a very limited release in the UK.