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The PSP - Sony's Missed Opportunity
C|Net passes on the words of Forrester analyst James McQuivey, who lambasts Sony for failing to live up to the opportunity the PSP presented. Though the handheld has certainly been doing better of late, it's hard not to point out that the PlayStation Portable's sales numbers flag in the face of the DS's incredible popularity. McQuivey also makes a point of stating how well the system could have done at taking a slice of Apple's death-grip on the downloadable media market. "'The thing is, Sony could have been all this,' McQuivey said. 'The Sony PSP is one of the best portable entertainment media devices that anyone has come up with in years. It has a relatively big screen, plays video beautifully, has good storage and audio. It could have been the first big mobile carrier for TV shows and movies.' Instead, the mobile-video play of one of the world's largest electronics companies is straggling behind Apple, has shaken the confidence of supporters--especially in Hollywood--and added to the woes of CEO Howard Stringer."
Help me out here. Video iPods have either 30GB or 80GB of storage built in. The PSP has freaky non standard "disks" that users can't burn or proprietary flash storage that nobody outside of Sony uses, nothing built in.
The criticism are somewhat valid but you can play non UMD movies on the PSP. Just stick then in mp4 in the right resolution on a memory stick and your good. It's be nice if it supported something other then memory stick or had a sizable internal drive. I do think Sony Music/Movies are clobbering Sony electronics/Games with demands to include things that are superfluous to the function of the device. I enjoy the bluray on my Ps3, I'd enjoy it more if sony pictures released downloadable movies.
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
In other words the Movie industry is hoping Sony succeeds because Sony will help "protect their profits", largely by forcing users to repurchase their movie collections and pay through the nose for any entertainment they want to watch. Any wagers on why the iPod with a smaller screen and bigger price tag is winning? Maybe consumers aren't the idiots Slashdot'ers think they are?
How is DVD any less proprietary? The only difference is that all the other companies went ahead and paid their licensing fees for it.
Add on top of that the fact that BluRay is outselling HDDVD signifigantly and the "PS3Cast" swipe and I can only assume that your post was nothing but flamboyantly anti-Sony diatribe.
FanFictionRecs.net
Despite my thoughts of Sony as a corporation, I must say that I love my PSP. I can rip any of my DVD's and play them right on there with absolutely no modding or anything necessary...I can sit in a coffee shop and browse the net...or I can pop in a game and just do whatever.
And of course, the v1.5 homebrew stuff is always fun.
Sure, the battery kinda blows (which can be very much helped with aftermarket bats) and the loading times a bit slow, but it's still a fantastic little toy.
Living With a Nerd
Super fantastic graphics that blow away the competition, feature X, Y & Z, Creepy commercials, etc.
Although the PSP sales numbers are not all that bad, it miserably failed to reach numbers even close to the DS...
Let's not forget the many asinine "security updates" they force fed to us early adopters to keep the homebrew developers from actually adding something useful to that oversized (physically), overpriced (duh), underwhelming (storage) "wish I was a video iPod." I thought they had pulled their collective heads out of their asses, but now that the latest updated supports PS1 downloads, but *only* via another overpriced POS, the PS3, I see that nothing has changed. They made their bed. Lie in it, Sony.
:(
Yeah, I agree, the storage has to be the worst thing about the system, overall. UMD was a joke, right? $20 a pop for less movie/features than a standard DVD... MemoryStick?! Waste of money.
It *could* have been a contender, but it's only a nice widescreen legacy now.
Way to make every wrong turn, Sony... the one and only.
This is the NSA, we're gonna geet U h@x0r5! Also, what is a h@x0r5?
Sony messed up on a lot of things for the PSP but the PSP brought Homebrew and Emulators on the PSP to the mainstream like never before and the releases of Custom Firmwares that play PSone Games at full speed really brought the PSP to the masses. Fanjita and Dark Alexs downgraders/homebrew loaders have shown the best of what can be done on the PSP. To date there has been over 1000 Homebrew and Emulation releases on the PSP. The PSP isnt all that bad.
The PSP is a perfect example of a company cramming as many features into one product, marketing all these features, and then not following through. UMD failed because it was proprietary format that could only play on the PSP and most of the games that came out for the first year were ports of PS1 and PS2 games. As for a mp3 player the damn thing is too big, and I cant say much for the web browsing feature since I don't do web browsing on the go. As for trying to move onto the online downloading market with the PSP, their just beating a dead horse.
I'd like to say the PSP is Sony's biggest blunder, but it's not. The PS3 is turning out to be the titanic of the industry with all the bad press. But the PSP is a pretty massive blunder too. There's just too many bad moves to make the system viable. Here's a short list.
.... You get the picture)
1. Bad Advertisements. Everyone talked about them, everyone said "WTF", everyone shook their head. Again this isn't an awful move, but combine it with the rest of this list and we got the "PSP".
2. Attacking the fans. People bought the PSP and homebrewed it. Sony closed the gaps. Now this isn't a bad thing but it forced people to make decisions between upgrading to buy games and leaving it at 1.5 to play homebrew. Overtime we've found ways to upgrade to 3.0+ software and play homebrew, however the sore feelings came early and lingered. When people were forced to make that choice and picked homebrew, then sony lost money right there. Games is all Sony's going to make money on.
3. UMDs. Not the worst idea ever but UMDs are clunky and a poor format. They are also slow. Notice that DS is a cartridge. Yeah they are outdated but they also have no load time, and little if any problems. Sony was smart enough to protect the disc instead of putting the laser right next to it, but the UMD is a failed concept that no one was going to buy. Blu-ray is slightly better, but forcing it on the consumer was bad voodoo.
4. Ambition, they made the best handheld, but it cost them a shit ton of money. The DS cost less, and sold for a profit (or close to it) It's similar to the PS3, 900 dollars or so for production of the version 1 consoles. Selling for 600. Why start a marathon a mile back from the starting line?
5. Ports. This is perhaps the most damning of them all. The PSP is the Playstation portable. The Gameboy is the game boy. Not the NES portable, not the Famicom portable. The Gameboy is it's own system. The PSP on the other hand is a suped up PSX or a downgraded PS2 but it wasn't it's own system. For that neurotic nerd who loves his PS2 so much he wants to buy the games a second time for his PSP so he can have it on the go great, but there's only a couple exclusives out of something like 200 games. Lumines? great. But there's just too much other crap that didn't work. It's great that I can now play burnout, Golf, or any other PS2 game on the go, but instead of the full experience off the DVD, I pay more money for downgraded graphics.
Consider that people play the DS while sitting next to full home entertainment systems, but I find it hard to believe people would do the same for the PSP. I know I wouldn't.
6. Not being nintendo. Let's get petty for a minute. Sony isn't nintendo. Sega, Neo geo, atari, and other all tried this before. The gameboy worked, everything else failed. Why? Who knows but challenging nintendo on their home court and you're going to be laughed off the field.
These are just some of the reasons the PSP failed and none of them are "that bad" but the wave of them keeps coming. They continue to produce port after port (next up Parapa the rapper, and Disgaea, and maybe FFT, and then
The PS3 is starting to turn this way, every month it seems there's a new bad story. Hell make that every week, and you'll see that Sony has a long way to turn both of these products into "success stories" but I think we are reaching the point where it's too little, too late.
Is one dead pixel per screen such a big deal?? I have a dead pixel on mine and only notice it on completely white backgrounds.
4. Really limited games (no legacy library to pull from)
Are you talking about PSP from 2 years ago? There are quite a few high quality games for the PSP (8.5+ score on gamespot.com/psp). My favorites: Daxter, Burnout Revenge, Metal Gear Acid I and II. I can also argue that DS games are graphics-limited (yes I know, gameplay is more important)
5. Big shiny screen, totally exposed for the scratching when put in a bag
So get a screen protector. Big deal ...
6. Costs more than a DS
30$. For which you get a considerably more powerful CPU & 3D accelerator. Look at screenshots from DS and PSP games.
Ideology aside (Sony is teh evil, Nintendo rocks, graphics is not important), PSP is a pretty decent portable. Sure, it has its issues (e.g., UMD), but it's far from being the failure that the mass media portrays it to be.
The Raven
I keep hearing that the PSP doesn't have as good Homebrew as the DS. Well that's just plain not true, for example here's my source for all things PSP and homebrew: http://forums.qj.net/f-qjnet-sony-psp-forums-48.ht ml/
There are at least 180 people on this forum at any given time and there are THOUSANDS of homebrew applications in the files section. I'm sorry but all this DS fanfare about a less than lively homebrew scene just don't have their facts straight.
Personally I bought my PSP early and got straight into the hacking scene as soon as I could. I've never been left feeling that I wasn't getting my moneys worth, and I've even bought a couple UMD movies (a 4 hour bus trip to Sydney can get mighty boring and sometimes ripping isn't an option). In fact I don't think I've ever come across something that I've wanted to do with my PSP and haven't been able to do. Here's just a short list of things I've done over the past couple of years using homebrew:
- NES/SNES/N64 emulators
- Universal IR Remote Controller
- Remote access of my desktop at home over wireless or the internet
- Streaming video and audio in real time over my wireless network and over the internet
- Personal Organizer and calendar
This is in addition to all the stuff that comes default these days with the base firmware. The PSP is a great platform and it's really worth every dollar you'll spend on it. Problem is it's not as cheap as a DS and the proprietary-ness of the platform seems to irk all the slashdotters. The DS might be selling more but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a better platform.
The Refined Geek - Technology, Finance, Space and everything in between
I guess I'm the only person on /. who doesn't think the PSP is a failure. I also don't understand the comparisons to the DS. They both play games, that's it. The PSP is a mobile entertainment device. The DS plays games that do not require any advanced hardware. The PSP plays home console quality games, video, music, provides some internet access, makes a great photo viewer, and more. I love sports games and the PSP as an excellent library of sports games. I show them to my friends and their jaws drop. I always get comments like "that looks better than on my ps2" or "that looks like the xbox version".
I don't see how you can compare the two on price. If you choose to, that's you're choice. I guess it doesn't seem to make much sense to me.
It boils down to what you want. If you like the games for the ds, buy a ds!!! Don't buy a PSP! If you like the games for the PSP, and there are a ton for a non-nintendo portable, probably at least 300 now, buy a PSP. If you want something you can rip dvd's and copy them to inexpensive flash media for cheap mobile viewing, get a PSP (I got a 4GB msduopro for $70, hardly expensive). If you want a photo viewer, music player, and a tool for light web browsing, get a psp.
Both the ds and the psp have their place I think. I don't understand all the psp hate. If you like to hate, then go for it. If you want a ds, buy one.
Most people who I have heard talk about PSP haven't played with it much if at all. Check it out if you haven't. Give it a chance. It's been an amazing device for my uses.
Lets look at the figures (vgchartz)
DS
16.39m Japan
11.88m Americas
12.80m Others
PSP
5.43m Japan
8.29m Americas
7.59m Others
The DS is nearly double the PSP but a huge chunk of this is Japan. You might conclude that although the DS is doing better, the PSP has still done very well.
As time passes, more and more people will be buying HDTVs. Not necessarily 5' plasmas, but HDTVs nonetheless. As they do, they will want their movies in high def as well. People only have so much money, and space to deal with. I don't even remotely understand what you are trying to say here. People have *always* "only had so much money", and they bought TVs, computers, video players, etc. in the past. I don't see why they'll stop any time soon. As for space, a similarly sized non-CRT HDTV takes up much less space than a CRT.
The only way I can see HD-DVD or BD failing is if their uptake is so slow that a downloadable HD format overtakes them (this *should* happen, but you know how the movie industry is). But at this point, it's far too early to count either format out (although I wouldn't bet on HD-DVD, the adoption rate of both are still so low that either could win overall).
"Add on top of that the fact that BluRay is outselling HDDVD signifigantly..."
Remember how Betamax was *THE* video tape format early on but lost out to VHS in the long term because VHS machines were more widely and cheaply available. Many people assume it was porn but in fact it was price. HD DVD still has an opportunity to do the same so I don't think the current rates of BD sales are any reason the claim the format has won.
"I have the attention span of a strobe lit goldfish, please get to the point quickly!"
Let me start by saying that I have a PSP1000G1CW (For the uninitiated, that's an original Japanese Ceramic White Gigapack), and I use it every day.
I would like to address the more common 'issues' people seem to have with the PSP...
The first being storage... You are right, it doesn't have 30-40gb of internal storage. This is something I have NEVER understood about the iPod and similar devices. My music collection is somewhere in the neighborhood of 200+ gigabytes. Yet, I'm never listening to more than 5 different albums in a given week. (This week, it is 'MY FOOT', 'Good Dreams', 'Fool on the Planet', 'Another morning, Another pillows', and 'FLCL Original Soundtrack 3', all by 'the pillows'.) Compressed with AAC, I have little problem carrying this around on my 1gb memorystick.
Why do you NEED to carry THIRTY GIGABYTES of music with you at all times? Nine times out of ten, if your plane crashes, you DIE. So don't worry about getting stranded on a desert island without tunes, okay?
My biggest gripe though, is with people attacking the UMD format. Complaining that it is proprietary strikes me as particularly stupid... Proprietary? As opposed to cartridges? I'm sorry, were they supposed to make it 3x the size and give it a DVD-ROM drive? Get over it. UMD Video was a mistake, but that was just Sony's movie division trying to capitalize... (In Japan, I've seen just as many UMD Video discs packaged WITH their DVD counterparts with little premium paid, so I think the whole 'make-you-buy-everything-twice' shtick was mostly western capitalism at work.)
The PSP is a fine multifunction device once you install a custom firmware... Now, I know someone's going to be like "So, it's no good unless you hack it, huh?" That statement is equal parts truth and loaded bullshit. Sony doesn't want people pirating games or running their own software... YES. Personally I think it's bad corporate policy to sell someone what amounts to a handheld computer, then tell them not to run anything on it...but hey, I imagine there's a REASON I'm not on the board of SCEI or SCEA.
With my PSP handy, with only a 1gb memorystick, I have never been bored. Between bookr for reading text files or PDFs, videos, music, and the vast library of great Japanese games at my fingertips (Not to mention all my old favorites via emulation), there has yet to be an instance where my PSP didn't give me something to do. Sony created something that, when properly utilized, becomes indispensable.
Typically, my PSP is loaded with one game UMD in the drive, two in my Hori Portable Style Pouch, 1-5 more game ISOs on the memstick depending on size, music, the latest episodes of all my shows, a bunch of ebooks, and some classic Super Famicom games in my emulator. (Granted, sometimes 1gb of space is a little stressed by all this, but a 4gb stick like I plan to buy soon is only $50)
Beyond its original purposes, a truly creative geek can find limitless uses for the PSP. I have my home network set up so I can download pre-packaged music, game ISOs, and videos, directly to my PSP through a web portal on my LAN. (As well as being able to stream any video directly from my computer to my PSP with Pimpstreamer...even stuff in 1080p) I can even use my PSP to control Media Player Classic via a web interface, or control the lights in the house...even check my caller ID. I don't even have the Chotto Shot camera or GPS unit yet and my PSP is more useful than any other handheld device I've ever owned, and has better games than some home consoles.
Sure, it doesn't hold 30gb of music or videos... But hey, the screen is about the SIZE of an iPod, and with games like Disgaea and the countless other great games I play on a regular basis, I have no complaints.
So I guess what I'm saying is... Could someone please explain Sony's failure to me in large type, with diagrams? Is it that the PSP is maybe TOO useful for a $280 device? Or is it supposed to be able to make me toast in the morning? I'M CONFUSED.
Friend: "The NIC is misconfigured..." Me: "No prob, I'll just telnet in and fix it." *Silence*
"The PS3 is also hardly to be considered a failure (no matter what stories you may read on /.) as it has sold over 3.5 million units in six months. "
Sorry but it isn't just what I read on Slashdot. I got my Wii finally, when I was getting a second controller the woman at the local Walmart was telling me, "I just don't understand. When they first came out everybody was so excited about the PS3. Now they just sit on the shelf and we can not keep the Wiis in stock." I suggest you take a look at the sales figures and the store shelves. The PS3 is selling fewer units than the PS2! Not a failure yet since it is still a new console but I am sure it's sales are disappointing.
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
that's because since acquiring cbs/columbia pictures, the media side has taken firm control of sony and nothing gets made unless it passes muster with the media division.
for example, the minidisc was saddled with format killing drm because that's how sony music wanted it. it's an excellent example of what consumer electronics would be like if the media companies had their way. contrast that to the sony of the 1970s that could make the the betamax without having to first ask permission of the movie division.
it's a bizarre turnaround to what the purchase of columbia pictures was supposed to be: a captive library of audio and video material used to drive sony's next consumer electronics innovation into the market. when the media division made more money than the elctronics division for a few years, the media executives were able to take over. furthermore, crippling the consumer electronics division's ability to make audio and video devices that customers might want to buy also prevents the consumer electronics division from being successful enough to take back control of sony. in a way sony is a microcosm of the conflict between the consumer electronics industry and the media industry.
it seems like the last really runaway consumer electronics hit sony had was the original playstation. made because sony executives were annoyed at having to kowtow to nintendo's licensing requirements, as i recall, the original playstation was designed to be easy to develop for and the company even made a hobbiest development kit. the original playstation may have been that last piece of electronics sony made that came, unmodified, from the engineering side. i expect all that drm and pita development on the playstation 2 and later all comes at the 'request' of the media executives who only want their customers to be passive consumers and not users.
when religion is no longer the opiate of the masses, governments will resort to real opiates.