The Sony Playstation Portable (PSP)
For a long time I've been talking about this blog.
Well, here it is. The reason it took so long to write is due to the amount of
speculation vs. fact in the new surrounding the system. This tends to happen
when a company is as hush about a product so anticipated as is the case with
Sony and their PSP. I've sorted out ALL of the BS to give you what is known
about the system at this point. In short, Nintendo's DS, and possibly their
dominance in the handheld market is
doomed.
When you look at the PSP, you are looking at the first device ever to transverse the worlds of Music, Movies, Video Games, and Mobile Computing. The PSP illustrates Sony's clear advantage over their primary competitor (Nintendo) in their company's all-encompassing experience and dominance in both the entertainment and electronic industry's. Sony is about to waltz on to the mobile gaming market with a bullet-proof strategy to oust Nintendo's decade long dominance, and change the demographics of the mobile gaming market, much as it has done with the console gaming market. The PSP is more than a mobile video game system. In several ways it eclipses everything they've ever done with the Playstation line. It is a much endeared venture for Sony because it is finally a device in which they can and aggressively will, converge ALL of their experience in every arm of their corporation. This is not just another Game Boy, this is the best of a Game Boy, Mobile DVD player, Walkman, and iPod... all in one device.
There are a lot of pivotal technologies that go into such an all encompassing system. The focus is primarily on hardware at this point, so I suppose I should tackle that up front.
THE HARDWARE
Here you can see the evolution of the PSP, it began as a conventional Gameboy clone, but obviously took a turn for the better along the way, breaking it's ties to Sony's Clie PDA line (former line) and adopting the beautiful widescreen LCD trademark of it now.The sleek surface was ditched along the way for a more familiar controller feel as well. Take a look.
first
then...
and now,,,
The most prominent feature is obviously that massive screen. Drawing immediate concerns, Sony laid consumer fears to rest stating that the screen is under a hard coat of plastic. I'm still a little concerned about scratches on the surface, but I have to admit it is definitely the way to go. You are looking at a 4" LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) in 16:9 aspect ratio (widescreen) which is a first in portable gaming to my knowledge. There is also an analogue stick built right into the face, representing yet another first in a mobile gaming system to my knowledge. One thing you may not zone in on right away are the buttons just beneath that mammoth screen. They are used to navigate through the various functions of the PSP, to skip to the audio player, or the video player from the primary menu.
What lies beneath the surface of this techie toy are the most powerful handheld video game guts in history. According to Sony, the system is visually on par with the Playstation 2. More or less a mobile gaming device with the capabilities of the PS2. That's pretty phenomenal considering its competitor the Nintendo DS is running software on par with it's 2 generation old Ninetendo 64 system.
So what can it really do with all that power? Well not all of that power is geared toward video games (though the emphasis of it's design is gaming)
Sony has put this kind of horsepower under the hood so that you view High Definition movies (better than DVD quality) on your PSP. Which I will get to in a minute. You may wonder why there is no hard drive. That is a pretty big fad these days. Putting mass storage hard drives in mobile devices so they can hold an unreasonable amount of media. An iPod, for instance, can carry your entire music collection on it's 60 gb hard drive, and probably your entire photo collection as well. Window Portable Media Centers can rack up hours of TV or downloaded movies in their box. So why no hard drive?
In this article SCE (Sony Computer Entertainment; which is in charge of the Playstation, Vaio, Clie, and Aibo lines) head Ken Kutaragi addresses the key detrimental points to a hard drive for the PSP. More or less price is the initial barrier. Mass storage hard drives are expensive, and with most of the media slated for UMDs a hard drive just doesn't fit into the PSP's concept. Hard drives also cause heat and power consumption issues. So what will the PSP utilize for media?
THE MEDIA FORMATS
The PSP will utilize two media formats. One for playback only, and one for storage. Both media formats are Sony proprietary solutions. For playback of games, and the majority of movies, and music, the brand new UMD (Universal Media Disc), created by Sony specifically for the PSP, is the answer. The UMD is exactly what it states. Universal. It allows for better-than-DVD quality full length motion pictures on a single disk, it also allows for full-length music albums, and many have hinted at possible additional content on those audio albums, such as concert footage, or music videos.
So what does this all mean? Sony is going to make a push with it's collective might (it is the largest power in both the Movie and Music industry) to make sure that new movie releases and music releases are also released on UMD, not just CD and DVD, as detailed in this article . Having, apparently, already swooned Warner Music and Movie Group, Other studios and record labels will be pretty much forced to follow suite. This is an interesting move from Sony, who plans to replace the DVD with the BluRay Disc in the near future. I'm a little concerned and confused that Sony's size has it stepping over itself. If UMD is to be Sony's next generation all-form media solution... how does BluRay fit in? For now, however; UMD is the answer. Here is what a UMD disc looks like:
In relation to the PSP:
The UMD holds about 1.8 gb of media. That's a lot! That's several PS1 games, and more than a PS2 game. As far as the multi-purpose nature of the UMD, the first announced movie in UMD format will be Final Fantasy, advent Children. I would expect Spider-Man 2 to follow immediately. Sony will likely promote newer, hipper, blockbuster movies in the format first, as their initial audience will be the Gen X crowd, and younger.
The pricing of a UMD disc has been announced only in Japan where it will cost about the equivalent of $47 US. The pricing in the US is expected to be dramatically less to compete with DS games, and avoid loss of sales to the PS2. It is estimated that our price will be somewhere around $37 US. Sony has stated that the cost to manufacture the discs is about 200 yen (2 dollars US) apiece. That offers a LOT of flexibility in the final cost of the game.
Why the UMD? To avoid piracy. Pirated games have haunted PS1 and PS2 sales for years now. Their standard CD and DVD formats have made it easy for people to dowload codecs into a home computer and thus copy and disperse illegal versions of the game, download and burn them to CDs/DVDs and play them on their console. The UMD is a read only format. There will be no storage version of the disc available, nor will their be blank UMDs available to the public. This nearly stops piracy in it's tracks.
The pricing for UMD Movies and CDs hasn't been firmly stated, but is expected to be slightly more expensive than current DVD prices. In the US that translates to roughly $25 per UMD Movie. Nothing has been said about UMD Audio Albums.
Finally, the second form of media. Pictured above is a slim little stick, smaller than a piece of gum. This is a more familiar form of Media, also a Sony technology called Memory Stick Media (you really should check out this link, it tells you all about the different features of Memory Stick Media but I'll try my best too). It is commonly used across the braod spectrum of Sony Home electronics such as Digital Cameras, Digital Camcorders, Vaio and Clie, Aibo, and even some of their TVs have MS reader slots. This particular form of MS is called Memory Stick Duo. It takes advantage of a smaller stick for the device, and an adapter to allow it to play in MS readers. It will look something like this, and existing forms of MS Duo will be compatible:
This image is blown up a great deal. The actual MS DUO stick is much smaller. About the size of two postage stamps side by side, from my estimate.
What is the function of Memory Sticks in the PSP? Saving points on games, and removable media. This will allow you to view pictures, and listen to music you've downloaded from Sony's Connect music store, as well as MP3s. You will also be able to utilize Memory Sticks to view movies encoded as MPEG 2 or 4 (MPEG HD 4). With a stick the size of the one picture above, you can fit about 3 full lenth movies on it. a few hundred songs, or a few thousand photos. Aha, now you are beginning to see the scale of the PSP aren't you. Exactly, not just a video game system, but a mobile media center.
Even with the concerns Sony has addressed as far as a hard drive. I would expect to see a version of the PSP with an integrated hard drive in the near future.
MS Duo is an expensive media format. Racking up nearly twice the price tag of comprable Secure Digital cards, and far in excess of Compact Flash type 1. This big dog pictured above (the biggest MS Duo stick I've ever seen) weighs in at 350 bux before tax on Sonystyle.com. The bennefit to Memory Stick lies in it's multiple uses. You can use it to transport files from computer to computer, in a number of Sony's digital audio devices, or digital camera's/camcorders. It's a flexbile format. You'll notice it bears a "Magic Gate" logo. What is Magic Gate?
Magic Gate is Sony's proprietary rights protection solution. With the mobility, and multi-purpose nature of the PSP, Sony has a vested interest in making sure that you can't give copies of it's movies or Connect downloads to all of your friends. It's a way to make you play nice with their goods. This is not uncommon. Even VHS Tapes used a rough early form of copy resistant technology later on in their life. Today Rights Protection is huge because of the swapping of music and, increasingly, motion pictures on the internet deemed illegal by movie studios and record labels/artists. You can find it in the world's most popular legal download software iTunes, and it's abound in Windows Media 9 and 10 series as well as several others.
Magic Gate is a little more complex, as it will allow various formats, like Sony's Atrac format, MP3. MPEGs 2 and 4, and a few others. That flexibility makes it the most popular Copyright Protection solution amongst consumers.
CONNECTIVITY
You know that none all of this digital audio, digital video nonesense is going to involve your computer, so let's get to that first. USB 2.0 backward compatible with USB 1.0 is the PC connectivity of choice for the PSP. Most computers these days have either USB 1.0 or 2.0, and serial isn't reasonable because it's too expensive and heavy. Mac's appear to be excluded from connectivity. That makes sense because Apples primarily depend on Quicktime video whereas Sony has gone the MPEG route with PSP, and Apple's use iTunes, and Apple's AAC format for audio, while Sony will obviously be using their PC-only Connect Music Store.
Why would you need to connect it to a computer? To load movies, photos, or music onto it, or to update it's internal software. Yes, it has an operating system.
There are a few more gameplay centric connectivity options though.
The PSP can connect to other PSPs in a room, via a wireless IR link, and it can also connect to a WiFi hotspot and involve you in a MMPG (Massively Multi-Player Game) like Final Fantasy XI. Currently there is a MMPG in development to involve up to 1000 characters in one game.
With WiFi ( for nerds that's an b WiFi connection just like it's brother the PS2, not A or G.) there are bound to be net based communication features. It's prime competitor the DS has included a messaging software called Pictochat out of the box, the PSP really could use this kind of feature, but nobody has mentioned anything about it as of yet.
In this view of the PSP you can see, along with how the system loads games, the top of the system where most of it's connection ports are located:
The UMD appears to have a similar load mechanism to Sony's Mini Disc media. If you are zoning in on that cool logo on the back, it gets even cooler, check it out up close:
I'm not sure if it is a stainless steel insert, or if it is actually a window that allows you to see the UMD spinning, but either way, it's a damn cool design accent.
WHY IT WILL SUCCEED
So, why do I think Nintendo's handheld dominance days are doomed? A couple reasons immediately come to mind:
1) It's got brand name power and then some. With Sony's name on it, it immediately becomes a contender. With the Playstation label on it, it shares it's name with the most successful video game system in the world.
2) Sony's marketing ability is second only to Coke. They own enough Music and Movie Studios to promote this thing until we are blue in the face. Don't be surprised if it makes it's way into numerous movies, or has it's own spot amongst the previews.
3) It's got a key price point. Less than an iPod, more features than a Gameboy or Nintendo DS... the best of both.
4) It embelishes in the things consumers want and nothing else. Big screen, no compromise over console gaming graphics, ultra portability, photo viewing, and portable music device. No cartidges to lug around, decent battery life.
So... why does it scare me. Well, I happen to like Nintendo. I happen to think their games are original, and love that you rarely see a game like HALO or Metal Gear on a Game Boy system. I was very dissappointed to learn that these style of games made the launch title list for the PSP. It's apparent that the system is cutting edge... but is there a point when cutting edge cuts out fun? Yeah Mario is getting a bit dorky, but the games still make me laugh, and I look forward to them. Metal Gear may have great graphics... but it's not fun. At least not for me. Plus, there are several racing games coming out on the PSP which is great... but it's a whole, played one played 'em all sort of theory in my mind. Luckily there are a few key games debuting with the PSP. Probably Devil May Cry. It's not Mario but thankfully it's not Metal Gear either. Where did crash go? Where's Spyro? Where are the games that were fun, enthralling, imaginative and original? Where are the games that draw you in and never let you go?
Aha, good question... on the Nintendo DS of course! Mario 64 DS soon to be joined by Mario 128, Animal Crossing, The same racing games that are coming out for the PSP (except GT4), Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles... and you better believe that Zelda is on his way. I definitely have a gripe with the DS already. AHEM... are they ALL going to be ports of N64 titles? It worked with SNES games and even the new line of NES ports... but I'd like to see something NEW on the DS!
Alright, well there you have my take on the PSP. It will change the way you game because portable systems will be expected to offer greater functionality than just gaming past this point. Something I like and dislike equally, because I'd hate to see gameboy systems turn into cell phones. It just doesn't seem right. I happen to like have devices that focus on one particular job and do it well. Hopefully Sony made no compromise with game functionality to incorporate MP3 capability and photo viewing. With the power of a PS2 under it's hood, it doesn't look like the PSP compromises anything though.
The first promotion I saw for the PSP was a commercial featuring a golf game called "Hot Shots Golf." you can check out the commercials for the PSP here . I don't think you have to be a premium member to use that link.
Here is a list of the games currently announced. Keep in mind that this is a list for Japan, the word on the US release of everything has been pretty absent. In fact, nobody even knows when the system will be announced here.
Here is a somewhat better list with links to screen shots and news.
I guess the next question is:
FINAL FANTASY
Yes, it will make a debut on the PSP, but nobody is sure when. So far there have been a few announcements. Mostly just about the first UMD movie, which will be Final Fantasy Advent Children which carries on a plot based in the world from FFVII... by far the most popular FF ever.
This will no doubt be the rock around which sales of the PSP will be based, but... as with Nintendo and Zelda DS, Sony and Square are keeping this ace up their sleeves. Probably to promoted holiday sales next year. Speaking of Holiday sales... can you believe Sony missed the opportunity to debut the PSP in the States for this holiday season? It'll have a rather quiet entry into the US market sometime in the first quarter of 05. Many are thinking mid-March, Sony is full of surprises though. Like the boggling add campaign for the PSP involving mannequins... I'm not sure either. We'll see.
That's ALL! You can catch more news about the PSP here , here , and here (that last one is a little slow with reporting new content) I chose these three links because they stick to info either directly from Sony, or what can be confirmed. Because Sony is being so vague, and uninformative, most places are basing their reports on speculation. It's really difficult to learn anything TRUE from any of the fan forums or fan-ran websites. I eventually gave up and stuck to these three sources. Just a note on some of the websites I did find useless... www.playstationportable.com absolutely SUCKS! You'd think with such a key web addy, they'd at least have up-to-date info... but they were about the worst. Still talking about the concept design of the system from a year ago. Also, PageSoutherlandPage... owners of PSP.com, should consider an upgrade in web bandwith... they'll need it shortly with all the people hitting their website looking for info on the PSP.
And here is a little speculation... just a tiny bit... that seemed to be consistantly reported amongst the ghetto PSP sites. Color. The PSP will eventually be offered in a variety of colors, but they say it is not likely that the initial release will be in anything other than black. I was able to obtain a picture from a Japanese add that features some PSPs in varied colors:
ACCESSORIES
There are a lot of cool goodies planned for the PSP. Most through Sony. One of them in particular is available with a bundle pack being sold in Japan. It's a little remote connected to the headphones to control volume for an MP3 or movie:
There was also this keyboard which infers a possible chatting utilization of the PSP's WiFi abilities:
Look again... it's clear and on top of the PSP... nifty isn't it! Completely transparent. That also appears to be a screen shot of Darkstalkers! I hope the US sees the keyboard and that game!
Well that's it for now! See ya!
When you look at the PSP, you are looking at the first device ever to transverse the worlds of Music, Movies, Video Games, and Mobile Computing. The PSP illustrates Sony's clear advantage over their primary competitor (Nintendo) in their company's all-encompassing experience and dominance in both the entertainment and electronic industry's. Sony is about to waltz on to the mobile gaming market with a bullet-proof strategy to oust Nintendo's decade long dominance, and change the demographics of the mobile gaming market, much as it has done with the console gaming market. The PSP is more than a mobile video game system. In several ways it eclipses everything they've ever done with the Playstation line. It is a much endeared venture for Sony because it is finally a device in which they can and aggressively will, converge ALL of their experience in every arm of their corporation. This is not just another Game Boy, this is the best of a Game Boy, Mobile DVD player, Walkman, and iPod... all in one device.
There are a lot of pivotal technologies that go into such an all encompassing system. The focus is primarily on hardware at this point, so I suppose I should tackle that up front.
THE HARDWARE
Here you can see the evolution of the PSP, it began as a conventional Gameboy clone, but obviously took a turn for the better along the way, breaking it's ties to Sony's Clie PDA line (former line) and adopting the beautiful widescreen LCD trademark of it now.The sleek surface was ditched along the way for a more familiar controller feel as well. Take a look.
first
then...
and now,,,
The most prominent feature is obviously that massive screen. Drawing immediate concerns, Sony laid consumer fears to rest stating that the screen is under a hard coat of plastic. I'm still a little concerned about scratches on the surface, but I have to admit it is definitely the way to go. You are looking at a 4" LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) in 16:9 aspect ratio (widescreen) which is a first in portable gaming to my knowledge. There is also an analogue stick built right into the face, representing yet another first in a mobile gaming system to my knowledge. One thing you may not zone in on right away are the buttons just beneath that mammoth screen. They are used to navigate through the various functions of the PSP, to skip to the audio player, or the video player from the primary menu.
What lies beneath the surface of this techie toy are the most powerful handheld video game guts in history. According to Sony, the system is visually on par with the Playstation 2. More or less a mobile gaming device with the capabilities of the PS2. That's pretty phenomenal considering its competitor the Nintendo DS is running software on par with it's 2 generation old Ninetendo 64 system.
So what can it really do with all that power? Well not all of that power is geared toward video games (though the emphasis of it's design is gaming)
Sony has put this kind of horsepower under the hood so that you view High Definition movies (better than DVD quality) on your PSP. Which I will get to in a minute. You may wonder why there is no hard drive. That is a pretty big fad these days. Putting mass storage hard drives in mobile devices so they can hold an unreasonable amount of media. An iPod, for instance, can carry your entire music collection on it's 60 gb hard drive, and probably your entire photo collection as well. Window Portable Media Centers can rack up hours of TV or downloaded movies in their box. So why no hard drive?
In this article SCE (Sony Computer Entertainment; which is in charge of the Playstation, Vaio, Clie, and Aibo lines) head Ken Kutaragi addresses the key detrimental points to a hard drive for the PSP. More or less price is the initial barrier. Mass storage hard drives are expensive, and with most of the media slated for UMDs a hard drive just doesn't fit into the PSP's concept. Hard drives also cause heat and power consumption issues. So what will the PSP utilize for media?
THE MEDIA FORMATS
The PSP will utilize two media formats. One for playback only, and one for storage. Both media formats are Sony proprietary solutions. For playback of games, and the majority of movies, and music, the brand new UMD (Universal Media Disc), created by Sony specifically for the PSP, is the answer. The UMD is exactly what it states. Universal. It allows for better-than-DVD quality full length motion pictures on a single disk, it also allows for full-length music albums, and many have hinted at possible additional content on those audio albums, such as concert footage, or music videos.
So what does this all mean? Sony is going to make a push with it's collective might (it is the largest power in both the Movie and Music industry) to make sure that new movie releases and music releases are also released on UMD, not just CD and DVD, as detailed in this article . Having, apparently, already swooned Warner Music and Movie Group, Other studios and record labels will be pretty much forced to follow suite. This is an interesting move from Sony, who plans to replace the DVD with the BluRay Disc in the near future. I'm a little concerned and confused that Sony's size has it stepping over itself. If UMD is to be Sony's next generation all-form media solution... how does BluRay fit in? For now, however; UMD is the answer. Here is what a UMD disc looks like:
In relation to the PSP:
The UMD holds about 1.8 gb of media. That's a lot! That's several PS1 games, and more than a PS2 game. As far as the multi-purpose nature of the UMD, the first announced movie in UMD format will be Final Fantasy, advent Children. I would expect Spider-Man 2 to follow immediately. Sony will likely promote newer, hipper, blockbuster movies in the format first, as their initial audience will be the Gen X crowd, and younger.
The pricing of a UMD disc has been announced only in Japan where it will cost about the equivalent of $47 US. The pricing in the US is expected to be dramatically less to compete with DS games, and avoid loss of sales to the PS2. It is estimated that our price will be somewhere around $37 US. Sony has stated that the cost to manufacture the discs is about 200 yen (2 dollars US) apiece. That offers a LOT of flexibility in the final cost of the game.
Why the UMD? To avoid piracy. Pirated games have haunted PS1 and PS2 sales for years now. Their standard CD and DVD formats have made it easy for people to dowload codecs into a home computer and thus copy and disperse illegal versions of the game, download and burn them to CDs/DVDs and play them on their console. The UMD is a read only format. There will be no storage version of the disc available, nor will their be blank UMDs available to the public. This nearly stops piracy in it's tracks.
The pricing for UMD Movies and CDs hasn't been firmly stated, but is expected to be slightly more expensive than current DVD prices. In the US that translates to roughly $25 per UMD Movie. Nothing has been said about UMD Audio Albums.
Finally, the second form of media. Pictured above is a slim little stick, smaller than a piece of gum. This is a more familiar form of Media, also a Sony technology called Memory Stick Media (you really should check out this link, it tells you all about the different features of Memory Stick Media but I'll try my best too). It is commonly used across the braod spectrum of Sony Home electronics such as Digital Cameras, Digital Camcorders, Vaio and Clie, Aibo, and even some of their TVs have MS reader slots. This particular form of MS is called Memory Stick Duo. It takes advantage of a smaller stick for the device, and an adapter to allow it to play in MS readers. It will look something like this, and existing forms of MS Duo will be compatible:
This image is blown up a great deal. The actual MS DUO stick is much smaller. About the size of two postage stamps side by side, from my estimate.
What is the function of Memory Sticks in the PSP? Saving points on games, and removable media. This will allow you to view pictures, and listen to music you've downloaded from Sony's Connect music store, as well as MP3s. You will also be able to utilize Memory Sticks to view movies encoded as MPEG 2 or 4 (MPEG HD 4). With a stick the size of the one picture above, you can fit about 3 full lenth movies on it. a few hundred songs, or a few thousand photos. Aha, now you are beginning to see the scale of the PSP aren't you. Exactly, not just a video game system, but a mobile media center.
Even with the concerns Sony has addressed as far as a hard drive. I would expect to see a version of the PSP with an integrated hard drive in the near future.
MS Duo is an expensive media format. Racking up nearly twice the price tag of comprable Secure Digital cards, and far in excess of Compact Flash type 1. This big dog pictured above (the biggest MS Duo stick I've ever seen) weighs in at 350 bux before tax on Sonystyle.com. The bennefit to Memory Stick lies in it's multiple uses. You can use it to transport files from computer to computer, in a number of Sony's digital audio devices, or digital camera's/camcorders. It's a flexbile format. You'll notice it bears a "Magic Gate" logo. What is Magic Gate?
Magic Gate is Sony's proprietary rights protection solution. With the mobility, and multi-purpose nature of the PSP, Sony has a vested interest in making sure that you can't give copies of it's movies or Connect downloads to all of your friends. It's a way to make you play nice with their goods. This is not uncommon. Even VHS Tapes used a rough early form of copy resistant technology later on in their life. Today Rights Protection is huge because of the swapping of music and, increasingly, motion pictures on the internet deemed illegal by movie studios and record labels/artists. You can find it in the world's most popular legal download software iTunes, and it's abound in Windows Media 9 and 10 series as well as several others.
Magic Gate is a little more complex, as it will allow various formats, like Sony's Atrac format, MP3. MPEGs 2 and 4, and a few others. That flexibility makes it the most popular Copyright Protection solution amongst consumers.
CONNECTIVITY
You know that none all of this digital audio, digital video nonesense is going to involve your computer, so let's get to that first. USB 2.0 backward compatible with USB 1.0 is the PC connectivity of choice for the PSP. Most computers these days have either USB 1.0 or 2.0, and serial isn't reasonable because it's too expensive and heavy. Mac's appear to be excluded from connectivity. That makes sense because Apples primarily depend on Quicktime video whereas Sony has gone the MPEG route with PSP, and Apple's use iTunes, and Apple's AAC format for audio, while Sony will obviously be using their PC-only Connect Music Store.
Why would you need to connect it to a computer? To load movies, photos, or music onto it, or to update it's internal software. Yes, it has an operating system.
There are a few more gameplay centric connectivity options though.
The PSP can connect to other PSPs in a room, via a wireless IR link, and it can also connect to a WiFi hotspot and involve you in a MMPG (Massively Multi-Player Game) like Final Fantasy XI. Currently there is a MMPG in development to involve up to 1000 characters in one game.
With WiFi ( for nerds that's an b WiFi connection just like it's brother the PS2, not A or G.) there are bound to be net based communication features. It's prime competitor the DS has included a messaging software called Pictochat out of the box, the PSP really could use this kind of feature, but nobody has mentioned anything about it as of yet.
In this view of the PSP you can see, along with how the system loads games, the top of the system where most of it's connection ports are located:
The UMD appears to have a similar load mechanism to Sony's Mini Disc media. If you are zoning in on that cool logo on the back, it gets even cooler, check it out up close:
I'm not sure if it is a stainless steel insert, or if it is actually a window that allows you to see the UMD spinning, but either way, it's a damn cool design accent.
WHY IT WILL SUCCEED
So, why do I think Nintendo's handheld dominance days are doomed? A couple reasons immediately come to mind:
1) It's got brand name power and then some. With Sony's name on it, it immediately becomes a contender. With the Playstation label on it, it shares it's name with the most successful video game system in the world.
2) Sony's marketing ability is second only to Coke. They own enough Music and Movie Studios to promote this thing until we are blue in the face. Don't be surprised if it makes it's way into numerous movies, or has it's own spot amongst the previews.
3) It's got a key price point. Less than an iPod, more features than a Gameboy or Nintendo DS... the best of both.
4) It embelishes in the things consumers want and nothing else. Big screen, no compromise over console gaming graphics, ultra portability, photo viewing, and portable music device. No cartidges to lug around, decent battery life.
So... why does it scare me. Well, I happen to like Nintendo. I happen to think their games are original, and love that you rarely see a game like HALO or Metal Gear on a Game Boy system. I was very dissappointed to learn that these style of games made the launch title list for the PSP. It's apparent that the system is cutting edge... but is there a point when cutting edge cuts out fun? Yeah Mario is getting a bit dorky, but the games still make me laugh, and I look forward to them. Metal Gear may have great graphics... but it's not fun. At least not for me. Plus, there are several racing games coming out on the PSP which is great... but it's a whole, played one played 'em all sort of theory in my mind. Luckily there are a few key games debuting with the PSP. Probably Devil May Cry. It's not Mario but thankfully it's not Metal Gear either. Where did crash go? Where's Spyro? Where are the games that were fun, enthralling, imaginative and original? Where are the games that draw you in and never let you go?
Aha, good question... on the Nintendo DS of course! Mario 64 DS soon to be joined by Mario 128, Animal Crossing, The same racing games that are coming out for the PSP (except GT4), Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles... and you better believe that Zelda is on his way. I definitely have a gripe with the DS already. AHEM... are they ALL going to be ports of N64 titles? It worked with SNES games and even the new line of NES ports... but I'd like to see something NEW on the DS!
Alright, well there you have my take on the PSP. It will change the way you game because portable systems will be expected to offer greater functionality than just gaming past this point. Something I like and dislike equally, because I'd hate to see gameboy systems turn into cell phones. It just doesn't seem right. I happen to like have devices that focus on one particular job and do it well. Hopefully Sony made no compromise with game functionality to incorporate MP3 capability and photo viewing. With the power of a PS2 under it's hood, it doesn't look like the PSP compromises anything though.
The first promotion I saw for the PSP was a commercial featuring a golf game called "Hot Shots Golf." you can check out the commercials for the PSP here . I don't think you have to be a premium member to use that link.
Here is a list of the games currently announced. Keep in mind that this is a list for Japan, the word on the US release of everything has been pretty absent. In fact, nobody even knows when the system will be announced here.
Here is a somewhat better list with links to screen shots and news.
I guess the next question is:
FINAL FANTASY
Yes, it will make a debut on the PSP, but nobody is sure when. So far there have been a few announcements. Mostly just about the first UMD movie, which will be Final Fantasy Advent Children which carries on a plot based in the world from FFVII... by far the most popular FF ever.
This will no doubt be the rock around which sales of the PSP will be based, but... as with Nintendo and Zelda DS, Sony and Square are keeping this ace up their sleeves. Probably to promoted holiday sales next year. Speaking of Holiday sales... can you believe Sony missed the opportunity to debut the PSP in the States for this holiday season? It'll have a rather quiet entry into the US market sometime in the first quarter of 05. Many are thinking mid-March, Sony is full of surprises though. Like the boggling add campaign for the PSP involving mannequins... I'm not sure either. We'll see.
That's ALL! You can catch more news about the PSP here , here , and here (that last one is a little slow with reporting new content) I chose these three links because they stick to info either directly from Sony, or what can be confirmed. Because Sony is being so vague, and uninformative, most places are basing their reports on speculation. It's really difficult to learn anything TRUE from any of the fan forums or fan-ran websites. I eventually gave up and stuck to these three sources. Just a note on some of the websites I did find useless... www.playstationportable.com absolutely SUCKS! You'd think with such a key web addy, they'd at least have up-to-date info... but they were about the worst. Still talking about the concept design of the system from a year ago. Also, PageSoutherlandPage... owners of PSP.com, should consider an upgrade in web bandwith... they'll need it shortly with all the people hitting their website looking for info on the PSP.
And here is a little speculation... just a tiny bit... that seemed to be consistantly reported amongst the ghetto PSP sites. Color. The PSP will eventually be offered in a variety of colors, but they say it is not likely that the initial release will be in anything other than black. I was able to obtain a picture from a Japanese add that features some PSPs in varied colors:
ACCESSORIES
There are a lot of cool goodies planned for the PSP. Most through Sony. One of them in particular is available with a bundle pack being sold in Japan. It's a little remote connected to the headphones to control volume for an MP3 or movie:
There was also this keyboard which infers a possible chatting utilization of the PSP's WiFi abilities:
Look again... it's clear and on top of the PSP... nifty isn't it! Completely transparent. That also appears to be a screen shot of Darkstalkers! I hope the US sees the keyboard and that game!
Well that's it for now! See ya!
Posted: Sun - November 21, 2004 at 02:24 PM
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Published On: Nov 23, 2004 10:25 AM
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Published On: Nov 23, 2004 10:25 AM