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[TekunoRobby]

Damn these foul internet message boards. I remember all the craziness from a while back, I thought reducing the screen quality was official. Oh well it wouldn't have mattered since TGS is so close anyways any confusion would have been cleared up by then.

As I said previously I never have held the unit in my hand so I really don't know much about the analog stick other than looks. I'm assuming that the actual "knob" stays in position and glides around that area when you use your thumb. It just looks strange to me, I'm hoping that it'll be effortless to move the thing around considering the placemet of it. Why couldn't they have made it the primary directional pad instead of the typical 8-way d-pad that we have now *cries*.

 

[jarrod]

I love all the hate regarding the analog stick.

1. How many of you have actually handled it personally?

Well, it does look a little akwardly placed... I'll give Sony the benefit of the doubt though. My main beef is missing a 2nd analog nub, what could possibly be the reasoning behind that? How am I gonna play Ape Escape PSP? :/

 

[TheDiave]

Bash the PSP all you want but at least find a credible reason. Hell, I'd take "I hate Sony" over whatever the hell you meant by the above.

Amen.

He could've at least cited the fact that PS2's have mad disk drive problems, and that he'd never trust a portable - something that NEEDS to be able to take a beating - made by Sony. That and the shitty battery life are my excuses.

Well, in addition to the fact it does nothing my GBA SP doesn't do. Ports of PS2 titles... Big fucking whoop. I'll pass.

 

[aerofx]

Yeah this portable looks sweet, I'll be using it to watch movies on small trips.

 

[MassiveAttack]

1. After handling the actual unit, it's hard to criticize the placement of the analog pad. Holding the PSP somehow makes everything feel right - which is indicative of just how long this thing was in R&D - around 6 years based based on my estimates (yes, PSP development was stopped and restarted several times).

2. Ruminating about how great/mediocre/terrible PSP is going to be is moot until after Tokyo Game Show.

3. I agree with Marconelly. After the screen upgrade, the price will likely skyrocket past the $1,000 mark but Sony will be gracious enough to offer financing options at a low APR of 12.5% with a downpayment of only $500. Of course, batteries and Memory Sticks will be sold separately at $200 and $150 respectively.

 

[Catchpenny]

That screen is going to get scratched and smudged so easily. I still wish it were clamshell. Will it come with any sort of screen protector?

Other than that it looks great.

 

[jarrod]

(yes, PSP development was stopped and restarted several times).

By different divisions within Sony also, right? I remember johntv mentioning murmurings of Sony Electronic's 32bit "PlayBoy" to release against GBA in 2002...

 

[Mirk]

Mine! homebrew is going to be sweet on this puppy. :eek

 

[MassiveAttack]

By different divisions within Sony also, right? I remember johntv mentioning murmurings of Sony Electronic's 32bit "PlayBoy" to release against GBA in 2002...

Yup. Actually, Kutaragi mentioned development of a PlayStation portable as far back as E3 1998 - off the record, of course. ;-)

It's well known in Japan that Akio Morita admonished Sony's R&D departments in the year before his death for failing to develop the Gameboy themselves. It was thus one of Kutaragi's personal crusades to make amends...

 

[Phoenix]

Mine! homebrew is going to be sweet on this puppy. :eek

That's what I'm thinking about more than anything else.

 

[aoi tsuki]

That screen is going to get scratched and smudged so easily. I still wish it were clamshell. Will it come with any sort of screen protector?

Other than that it looks great.

i think this is one of the subtle things that'll differentiate it from "toys" like the GBA. Like an piece of sexy portable tech, you're going to want to take care of it. i'm sure Sony will offer cases with belt clips like they do for their Clies. If not, there's several PDA cases (notably those for the NR/NX/NZ-series Clies that'll fit the unit. Skins (or whatever they call them) like the ones available for the iPod will probably be available for it as well. As a future DS owner, i'm actually a little jealous of the open design.

 

[bishoptl]

The design is absolutely gorgeous - but that said, I'll wait a few months for Sony to work out the kinks first. I can take their shoddy workmanship in a standalone console - I rarely pack my PS2 anywhere - but if I'm using a portable it needs to withstand the rigors of everyday life....and Sony's track record in that regard is a HUGE concern.

 

[Wario64]

I'll probably wait for a price drop myself. Like the above post, they'll probably have the kinks worked out by the time a price drop is set. Plus they'll be a bigger library of games and possibly games at a lower price. I hope Sony follows their Greatest Hits series with the PSP...something that Nintendo needs to do for their portable games

 

[StrikerObi]

Homebrew? Where the fuck are you going to get UMDs to put this "homebrew" you speak of on? Or are you expecting Sony to let games run from MemoryStick? HAHAHAHA.

Come on, Sony's even worse about propritary media formats than Nintendo.

 

[Lord Error]

Count me in as a doubter that any homebrew stuff will be made to run on PSP. Sadly, that is going to require some massive hacks to the system, if it ever happens...

Is it just me or did the PSP gain a few more pounds around the stomach?

Pictured here is almost the exact same shell as the one exhibited as at E3. There's one tiny difference from this pre-E3 model to one showcased at E3, but it's so small that I doubt anyone will even look for it and try to notice

 

[Shompola]

I would rather want the analog stick above the pad. Other than that it does really look good and solid.

 

[Catchpenny]

i'm sure Sony will offer cases with belt clips like they do for their Clies. If not, there's several PDA cases (notably those for the NR/NX/NZ-series Clies that'll fit the unit.

Sure, but I'd like to see something come standard with the system. It's already going to require a seperate memory stick, headset if you want to play LAN games, possibly a seperate device to extend battery life if you want that...lots of add-ons for a system that will likely be pricey to begin with.

Even with a case/belt, the screen takes up so much space on the system that it's going to be difficult to keep it clean while playing. Like the GBA, the buttons and d-pad appear very close to the screen. I like clamshell a lot better for portable devices...learned that going from GBA to SP, and also with using cellphones. That's just my personal preference, however.

 

[Lord Error]

<- Ouch, looks like all this PSP spamming today has earned me a new tag
Don't mock my precious PSP!!

 

[GIR]

I would definitely see myself playing PoP game on PSP rather than a poor 2D platform game on any other handheld.

Well that sure was insightful, I guess that means PSP is guaranteed to have 100% non crap games then.

 

[DCharlie]

"Count me in as a doubter that any homebrew stuff will be made to run on PSP. Sadly, that is going to require some massive hacks to the system, if it ever happens..."

I'm sure it'll be hacked pretty quickly.
If sony are talking about having content about running from downloads that means that there has to be the ability to run from Memory card - once that's cracked, all aboard for Mem stick based mame!

 

[Socreges]

<- Ouch, looks like all this PSP spamming today has earned me a new tag
Don't mock my precious PSP!!

Marc, didn't you say you wanted to distance yourself from the board because you realized your Sony partialty was getting out of hand?

Oh, and will I be able to hook a PSP up to my PS2 and play the games on the TV (considering the ports can be identical)? Because that might be what sells me on the system. I'd skip on GT4 PS2, for instance, and just buy the Mobile one. If there isn't an accessory like that yet, is there at least one in the works?

 

[Minotauro]

I love all the hate regarding the analog stick.

1. How many of you have actually handled it personally?

<raises hand>

At e3, the analog stick was awkward to use and all I was doing was manipulating a camera. Honestly, I don't know how anyone who's actually handled it can feel differently. Unless you hold it with the tips of your fingers, the stick is almost unreachable.

2. It's a portable system and having things protrude is always iffy at best. I think it's a pretty good solution actually.

Oh, c'mon. The device really isn't that portable to begin with. Aside from being massive, that screen will need to be taken care of.

 

[Rhindle]

Oh, and will I be able to hook a PSP up to my PS2 and play the games on the TV (considering the ports can be identical)? Because that might be what sells me on the system. I'd skip on GT4 PS2, for instance, and just buy the Mobile one. If there isn't an accessory like that yet, is there at least one in the works?

I'm more interested in doing the opposite -- i.e. having a USB video-in port on the unit and hooking it up to my portable PC-DVD player. I could see it becoming my playback method of choice when away from the living room.

 

[Rhindle]

<raises hand>

At e3, the analog stick was awkward to use and all I was doing was manipulating a camera. Honestly, I don't know how anyone who's actually handled it can feel differently. Unless you hold it with the tips of your fingers, the stick is almost unreachable.

Agreed. If the analog stick is going to be primary control method on most games (which I hope it is), they need to switch the placement of the Dpad and the stick. Yes, you can bend your thumb and reach it easily, but I could see that posture becoming very tiring very quickly.

 

[Seth C]

I love all the hate regarding the analog stick.

1. How many of you have actually handled it personally?

2. It's a portable system and having things protrude is always iffy at best. I think it's a pretty good solution actually.

I have. The stick feels great, and the placement is just fine.

 

[MassiveAttack]

Oh, c'mon. The device really isn't that portable to begin with. Aside from being massive, that screen will need to be taken care of.

No, it's not really portable at all. The sheer bulk and weight of the thing will make it all but impossible to carry anywhere save for those of herculean strength. It's really a damn shame that Sony finds it necessary to design everything with such huge proportions.

 

[jiggle]

(HAWT)

Indeed.

 

[Seth C]

<raises hand>

Oh, c'mon. The device really isn't that portable to begin with. Aside from being massive, that screen will need to be taken care of.

Now I know you weren't actually at E3. The thing is BARELY longer than my cell phone, and I have the photos to prove it. It just looks huge in most pictures.

 

[AniHawk]

Now I know you weren't actually at E3. The thing is BARELY longer than my cell phone, and I have the photos to prove it. It just looks huge in most pictures.

You bought your cell phone in 1987?

 

[GDGF]

Must be Zach Morris

 

[Seth C]

You bought your cell phone in 1987?

It's a modern Sanyo with a full color screen. Fact is, PSP is barely wider than the original model Nintendo DS.

 

[Funky Papa]

It is the sexiest handheld without a doubt, both the colors and the shape are gorgeours.

I just hope a super resistant plastic case. My sweat is almost alien like, I tend to turn all my coloured mouses into white

 

[AlphaSnake]

PSP is fucking tiny!

PSP analog thumb bud rocks!

Holding a PSP is like holding a pair of natural 34Ds...well, maybe not, but it's up there.

PSP rocks. Fact.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Holding a PSP is like holding a pair of natural 34Ds.

And on this day, Sony's PSP marketing slogan was born.

 

[Minotauro]

Now I know you weren't actually at E3. The thing is BARELY longer than my cell phone, and I have the photos to prove it. It just looks huge in most pictures.

Okay, maybe "massive" was overstating it a bit. Still, it's hardly pocket size. Well, unless you're one of those people who wear those ridiculous-looking JNCO jeans with the dictionary-sized pockets in the back.

I wasn't at e3? You want I should scan the locks of hair I ripped from Itagaki's head as proof?

 

[Minotauro]

PSP analog thumb bud rocks!

"Analog thumb BUD"? I don't like the sound of that.

Shit, the GC's mini d-pad is difficult enough to use and it's only supposed to support 8 directions.

 

[aoi tsuki]

"Analog thumb BUD"? I don't like the sound of that.

Shit, the GC's mini d-pad is difficult enough to use and it's only supposed to support 8 directions.

And how many directions do most analog ganes support?

 

[Minotauro]

And how many directions do most analog ganes support?

Is this a trick question?

 

[kitchenmotors]

Oh, and will I be able to hook a PSP up to my PS2 and play the games on the TV (considering the ports can be identical)? Because that might be what sells me on the system. I'd skip on GT4 PS2, for instance, and just buy the Mobile one. If there isn't an accessory like that yet, is there at least one in the works?

Hahahahaha. Good luck with that. Sony expects you to buy BOTH versions, they won't offer any official way of hooking up a PSP to TV.

 

[tenchir]

And how many directions do most analog ganes support?

If you aren't being sarcastic...... You get 360 degree control..... so that would be a lot of directions for most 3D games.

 

[disabledHeliocentric]

This thing has more horses under the hood than the next man's portable device. I think that alone is sexy. Playing what if, I wonder... what if the DS had the PSP's processing power? I think then DS would then be sexier.

I predict: When PSP hits the DS is going to have problems.

 

[wazoo]

what if the DS had the PSP's processing power? I think then DS would then be sexier.

What if the DS was priced at PSP price ??

 

[Sho Nuff]

PSP AM SEXY!!!

Me hope PSP am able to keep battery life go long time!

 

[Tellaerin]

Well, in addition to the fact it does nothing my GBA SP doesn't do.

So what was the release date on Ridge Racer GBA again? Can't wait to see how RR looks on a sexy poly-crunching beast like the Gameboy Advance!

 

[Insertia]

I don't think some people realize their thumb is opposable.
The reach for the analog pad on PSP looks like the same length for the analog stick on the Dual Shock.

 

[DaCocoBrova]

I see 30fps being the norm. Does the screen blur while scrolling like most TFT displays?

 

[Deg]

I see 30fps being the norm. Does the screen blur while scrolling like most TFT displays?

we dont live in 1999

 

[BeOnEdge]

*sony to nintendo*

you're DONE B!, GET OUT!

 

[tedtropy]

Say what you will, but the fact that something so small contains near-PS2 capabilities is a technical milestone. I'm starting to think Sony took their little foray into the PDA market just to test some of the technology they crammed into the PSP. As for homebrew stuff, it'll happen. Every console ever released has been hacked into with time (despite claims by Nintendo, Sega, Microsoft that they were nigh uncrackable) and this system will be no different. The prospect of a high-powered handheld SNES emulator is almost more appealing than the games actually intended for the system...

 

[kaching]

Honestly, I don't know how anyone who's actually handled it can feel differently.

Same way some say controller x for console y is the most uncomfortable thing they've ever laid hands on and can't see how anyone else could feel differently...and yet millions play without complaint.