[FrankJ.Cone]

 http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/10...s_6111570.html


Release titles do not look so hot however. (With a few exceptions)


If it's $180 in Japan we'll probably see $199. Not as bad as $250-$300 at all.


And the important news:

Quote:

In addition, today Sony Computer Entertainment finally made an official statement concerning the battery life of the PSP: The handheld's rechargeable Lithium Ion battery will allegedly last for four to six hours for gameplay, on average, and four to five hours for movies, on average.

 

[Abaddon]

> In addition, today Sony Computer Entertainment finally made an

> official statement concerning the battery life of the PSP: The

> handheld's rechargeable Lithium Ion battery will allegedly last for

> four to six hours for gameplay, on average, and four to five hours

> for movies, on average.


Note that those figures are sans WiFi and speakers (ie, with headphones). The low end was estimated with the LCD set at maximum luminance and the high end was estimated at minimum luminance.


More info, including accessories: http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=5158


[EDIT: Oops, I now see this info is duplicate to the previous link]


The price is a pleasant surprise. Wonder how much they are losing per unit?

 

[Richard Paul]

It seems as though Sony is willing to take a $50 to $100 loss on every PSP unit. To say the least there playing smart since this will definitely help sell the PSP and get them established in the handheld market. Also the inclusion of a FF7 game on the PSP will help sell it in Japan.

 

[SiliGoose]

Amazing. They really have it in for Nintendo, don't they?

 

[rgbyhkr]

Well, the news was enough to sway me. I placed a pre-order for a Japanese PSP with one of the importers (Play-Asia.com in this case). I just can't wait for it to come out here (I do have a pre-order for a US PSP with my local EB, however). I previously had a Japanese Dreamcast, so I know the limitations due to region-encoded software, etc. With the price coming in much lower than expected, I figured what the hell. I've also ordered Tiger Woods, NFS Underground Rivals and MG: Acid.


I'll post impressions and details on it when it ships (expected 12/12 with shipping taking 2-4 days).


Jeff

 

[Wakey]

Quote:

Originally posted by rgbyhkr I'll post impressions and details on it when it ships (expected 12/12 with shipping taking 2-4 days). Jeff

That would be awesome..


The battery life doesn't concern me because I will only use a handheld for quick gaming fixes. My marathons will always be with my Xbox..


The battery life is plenty enough even for a flight out West.

 

[newsguy]

Quote:

Originally posted by rgbyhkr Well, the news was enough to sway me. I placed a pre-order for a Japanese PSP with one of the importers (Play-Asia.com in this case). I just can't wait for it to come out here (I do have a pre-order for a US PSP with my local EB, however). I previously had a Japanese Dreamcast, so I know the limitations due to region-encoded software, etc. With the price coming in much lower than expected, I figured what the hell. I've also ordered Tiger Woods, NFS Underground Rivals and MG: Acid. I'll post impressions and details on it when it ships (expected 12/12 with shipping taking 2-4 days). Jeff

Wow, I saw your post and thought it was me who posted. I want to do the exact same thing you are (including those same 3 games). On top of that, I also owned a Japanese Dreamcast. From what IGN had said a while back, the U.S games may actually be playable on the Japanese PSP. The UMD movies are what will be region-encoded. Anyway, if that's the case then I will probably pre-order the PSP along with those games. BTW, do you know if those 2 games will have the option for english text since they're EA games?? I wonder because it was near impossible to navigate the menus on my Import DC.

 

[rgbyhkr]

Quote:

Originally posted by newsguy Wow, I saw your post and thought it was me who posted. I want to do the exact same thing you are (including those same 3 games). On top of that, I also owned a Japanese Dreamcast. From what IGN had said a while back, the U.S games may actually be playable on the Japanese PSP. The UMD movies are what will be region-encoded. Anyway, if that's the case then I will probably pre-order the PSP along with those games. BTW, do you know if those 2 games will have the option for english text since they're EA games?? I wonder because it was near impossible to navigate the menus on my Import DC.

I also saw the mention of region encoding not being used for games. I'm going into it not expecting them to be used across regions so I won't be upset if they decide to enforce region encoding on games. Since I can't really see myself buying versions of movies on the UMD format (with HD-DVD and/or Blu-Ray coming down the pipe, we all have enough movie repurchasing to do), that part is fine with me.


My guess would be that the EA ones would offer english text. After all, English is a popular language in Japan (just look at how much Japanese hardware sold in Japan - especially from Sony - has English text on its buttons and i/o connections) and both EA titles are ports of their PS2 counterparts that were developed and released in the US market prior to the PSP's launch over there.


Jeff

 

[Swat_R2]

Nintendo made the DS region free because the nature of online gaming means travelling to different markets, I'd expect Sony to follow suit on this as well. Lots of business trips from USA to Japan could be seriously compromised

 

[rgbyhkr]

The news seems to be that the games will certainly be region free. As for movies, we may see a hack a la the PS2 to make the unit region 0. It would be nice if Sony offered a menu option where you could change the region a limited number of times like you can with PC DVD drives. I wouldn't hold my breath on that, though.


Jeff

 

[Gameboya]

$200

+

$39 - $99+ for a memory stick which is MANDATORY

$10 - $39 for a case to protect the screen as there is no way in HELL I would ever not keep it in something as that screen is just beging to be scratched

$39 - $49 for another battery, sorry but 4 hours WITHOUT WIFI turned on and brightness and sound only half up are NOT going to cut it for me.

$39 - $49 for 1 game, cause there is no point in not buying a game for a game system.


so lets see here we are looking at


$200

$39 memory stick

$19 case

$39 battery

$39 game

------------------

$336 plus tax to get me going. seems like a lot of money to me.


I'm being fair on the battery, memory stick, and game imo as these could be a tad higher but highley doubtfull lower.



DS on the other hand requires no memory card, battery, or case.


$150 even comes with a damn fine demo of a game

$29 for any game

----------

$180 total plus tax


2x more for a PSP?? I still think they over priced it, but I am a lot happier knowing it isn't $300 just for the system alone. I am going to buy a DS first for sure and then will look at PSP when it hits the market.

 

[FrankJ.Cone]

More ifnormation today:

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/10...s_6111820.html


For those at work:

Quote:

TOKYO--Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi revealed a great deal of additional information regarding the PSP in an interview with Impress Game Watch today. Kutaragi covered a range of topics, including price, cost of goods, and battery life. On Wednesday, Sony announced that the system would release on December 12 in Japan at an MSRP of 19,800 yen ($185). Up until the announcement, analysts in Japan and around the world were expecting that the PSP would be priced around the 25,000 yen ($235) range. Any price above that would have given the Nintendo DS, which is set to be released on December 2 in Japan, a price advantage of more than 10,000 yen ($95). “As with the PlayStation and PlayStation 2, the PSP's price wasn’t decided until the very last moment,“ said Kutaragi. “The price was kept a secret even to the company. I didn’t even reveal it to my wife. And, so, there were actually surprised people inside of Sony.†200,000 PSP units will be shipped on launch day in Japan, with an additional 300,000 units promised before the end of the year. As Sony's annual manufacturing rate is about 3 million PSP units, the company, for the next fiscal year, will ship 1 million units each to North America, Europe, and Japan. That, says Kutaragi, will be the break-even point for Sony's PSP to start making a profit. (By comparison, Nintendo plans to ship 4 million units of the DS worldwide in the next five months.) Kutaragi asserted that the main reason why Sony was able to price the PSP below any analyst's speculations is because 50 percent of the components used inside the handheld are produced internally. In particular, said Kutaragi, Sony will be able to massively cut costs by manufacturing the PSP's 90nm CPU at its own fabrication labs. "People from various sectors were saying that [the establishment of] 90nm fabrication labs would be reckless. But the pricing of the PSP wouldn't have been possible if we were to outsource its chips," he said. "Our 90nm fabrication labs will all be working at full capacity for the PSP, the new model of the PlayStation 2, and other chips needed by the Sony group. And if it weren't for the investment [in the factories], the PSP’s low price wouldn't have been possible." When planning for the PS2, Sony aimed to make a profit on the long term while gradually dropping the console's price. But for the PSP, the company hopes to start turning a profit in the short term by releasing the handheld at a low starting price on its launch day. Thus, said Kutaragi, it is essential that the handheld expands into the market as quickly as possible so that it will have a large library of games at an early stage. That, in return, will raise the demand for the PSP and make it possible for Sony to order the components that are outsourced--such as the liquid display panels from Sharp--in large volumes, which will cut manufacturing costs even more. Kutaragi also revealed that other sectors in the Sony group are looking forward to the PSP and are hoping to expand on the handheld's functions, although whether this will happen is still up in the air. One of the examples given by Kutaragi was an idea suggested by Sony's broadband sector, whereby PSP users would be able to connect to their TV sets at home, via online connection, so they could watch live shows and taped recordings over the PSP's screen. Finally, Kutaragi touched on the PSP's rechargeable battery, which is purported to last between four to six hours--on average--for games, and up to four to five hours for movies. "The battery consumption changes depending on the memory and processor usage, aside from disk access," he said. "It'll run for a long time when playing puzzle games but shorter when playing Ridge Racer, for example. Using the wireless LAN also affects the battery consumption […] I think that there's still some room left for power-consumption improvement through software." "In the future, we’re hoping that the PSP can last without a recharge [during a full flight] between Narita [Tokyo International Airport] and New York," said Kutaragi. He then added, “The Walkman only ran for about two hours when it first came out, too.â€

 

[newsguy]

"$336 plus tax to get me going. seems like a lot of money to me.


I'm being fair on the battery, memory stick, and game imo as these could be a tad higher but highley doubtfull lower.



DS on the other hand requires no memory card, battery, or case.


$150 even comes with a damn fine demo of a game

$29 for any game

----------

$180 total plus tax


2x more for a PSP?? I still think they over priced it, but I am a lot happier knowing it isn't $300 just for the system alone. I am going to buy a DS first for sure and then will look at PSP when it hits the market."




Well, I'm sure PSPBOYA will have a retort for your argument. But the truth is that it's hard to play any DS game knowing that you can spend a little more and get 3-4X the graphical quality. It's like having my N64 and PS2 at home. Sure the N64 gives me the nostalgia and plays the cute games I loved growing up, but when I want to get down to business, the PS2 is ready to rock.

 

[Swat_R2]

Quote:

Originally posted by newsguy Well, I'm sure PSPBOYA will have a retort for your argument. But the truth is that it's hard to play any DS game knowing that you can spend a little more and get 3-4X the graphical quality. It's like having my N64 and PS2 at home. Sure the N64 gives me the nostalgia and plays the cute games I loved growing up, but when I want to get down to business, the PS2 is ready to rock. [/b]

There's a huge dynamic difference between playing in the comfort of your home and being able to settle down for many hours, and riding transit or waiting for your class to start.


One's a perfect environment, the other is a bumpy, noisy environment where you'll most likely be playing in smaller chunks. And those smaller chunks of gameplay need to be realized. No one wants to play Morrowind on a handheld and have that 20 minutes wasted by swimming to the next island.


I game at home. I have a 120" screen and every console, and a PC. I have surround sound and comfortable chairs. There's no way in hell I will be playing my brand new PSP with less-than PS2 graphics when I have clearly better options. Bring something new to the table (ie. touch screen, dual-screens, innovation) and I'll be able to do something I can't at home.


I can see the PS2 being very popular with kids who don't have the luxury of a home console and a nice setup, but I find those odds to be low.


The only thing the PSP has going for it right now is sex appeal. You'll be the coolest kid on the block, and can tout the best graphics in your pocket. Until the next-generation arrives and you realize it just ain't that pretty anymore. I think that's when you'll value the gameplay over sex appeal - when the cool factor wears thin.


Will I get one? Probably. And it won't be to re-buy all my movies on UMD, it won't be to listen to MP3 and watch DiVX on my super-expensive 1GB flash memory, it will be to play a killer app that I can't experience on any of my toys at home.


That's why I'm more excited about the DS, it's revolutionary. It's just not as sexy looking.

 

[rgbyhkr]

I agrre that the touch screen and dual screen design of the Ds bring an element of uniqueness to it. However, I don't see the market for portable devices existing as an alternative to gameplay when you are at home. It's an option you have to kill time when away from home.


Of course no portable unit can stand up to the hoe console or PC setup. What they can hope to do is offer you the best possible gaming experience when you are on the go. For cities where large percentages of commuters use mass transit, a portable device aimed at the older crowd would do very well. That doesn't even take into account business travelers. How about the college crowd?


To me, it still boils down to games. The screenshots and videos of both pre-launnch units give the graphics edge to the PSP. Developers will have to innovate and make fun use of the unique features of the DS (don't just use the touch screen or dual screen, make it a much cooler experience because the game uses it) in order to close the gap.


Jeff

 

[MinisterVado]

Quote:

Originally posted by Swat_R2 That's why I'm more excited about the DS, it's revolutionary. It's just not as sexy looking.

...YET! i heard they were adding nipples to the back to tweak the touch-gaming dynamic.

 

[Swat_R2]

I'll admit, I'm a bit of a graphics snob. I love a nice smooth 3d experience as much as the next guy. But I also have over 100 hours logged on Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, and I've loved every minute of it.


I've looked at all the PSP screenshots. I've looked at all the DS screenshots. I've seen all the videos and weighed them equally. I'm impressed by neither graphically. Next year they will be a joke graphics wise when the next-gen consoles are announced. If you're buying a PSP for the graphics, you're buying it for the wrong reason.


With the handheld market you will always be at least 1-2 generations behind.


Also, 3D does not age well compared to sprites. I'd rather play SNES ports over 1st Gen PSX ports. The 3D on the PSP will seem very PSX'ish when the PS3 hits. In other words, ass-like. Go back and play Battle Arena Toshinden and Tekken 1 and tell me if you're still impressed.


Face it guys, the PSP novelty will wear off fast when you realize you're playing the same game you own on the last generation hardware.


Remember the Sega Nomad? Exactly.


Time will only tell if the DS will create wonderful new experiences, or if will be more of a gimmick that will be underutilized (see: 4 GBA's + FF:CC). But one thing remains constant, Nintendo is positioning itself to lead by not throwing technology out the window and seeing what sticks, but by changing the way we currently play games. That's an awesome attitude, and I hope for the gamer's sake, it will lead to bigger and better things from everyone.

 

[FrankJ.Cone]

Quote:

Originally posted by Swat_R2 Also, 3D does not age well compared to sprites. I'd rather play SNES ports over 1st Gen PSX ports. The 3D on the PSP will seem very PSX'ish when the PS3 hits. In other words, ass-like. Go back and play Battle Arena Toshinden and Tekken 1 and tell me if you're still impressed.

SNES style is the GBA, the DS sports almost N64 quality (Much like the PSP sports almost PS2 quality). The DS titles that almost everyone is showing so far are 3D games.


Metroid looks just great as does Mario 64X4. That said they do not look as good as PSP games like RR, NFSU:R or that shooter who's name I cannot recall.


Handheld gaming is not about the best graphics though, thats what home systems are for. I would play mario 64 over anything I have seen on the PSP.

 

[Swat_R2]

Quote:

SNES style is the GBA, the DS sports almost N64 quality (Much like the PSP sports almost PS2 quality). The DS titles that almost everyone is showing so far are 3D games.

Yup, I was making a more general reference to how sprites can look good even after so long, but 3D ages horribly. I'm still amazed by this. Sprite based 3D games however, are extremly painful to watch, with the exception of say, F-Zero.


I compare 3D graphics to the cartoon film industry. Movies like Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast were hand-drawn labors of love. When CGI first started appearing, initially the "wow!" factor was there, but when you look back and realize that early 3D looks absolutely awful now, while say, Fantasia is still a work of art.


I believe that the way Pixar has been advancing, this gap will close even further and further, as movies like Nemo and the Incredibles are starting to bridge that gap.


The PSP is like Final Fantasy the Movie. Graphically, amazing for it's time. Story-wise, sorry - been there, done that. Bland.


Without a doubt I know Sony or a 3rd party will release a must have for it's system, but after how many bland clones? And to be perfectly honest, outside of a couple titles for the DS I'm not thrilled about the lineup either. Wario Ware and Touch the Magic are on the top of my list.

 

[ileff]

Does anybody know if 2 people can play multiplayer on psp with just one game disc (like ds)?