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The "Official" Japanese PSP Launch Thread (NSF56k)
- Thread starter Amir0x
- Start date
Panajev2001a
GAF's Pleasant Genius
Marconelly said:
Not really... just to let you know quite a critical bug was being fixed in the silicon like 2 weeks before shipping date and the slight ghosting issue is real.
:O
The creative Zen has been touted for being decent image quality. PSP stomps it! Now the PSP just needs a 20 gig HDD! :lol
I've been reading that video playback thread, and if I can convert my full length DVD movies into 400-500 MB files that is going to be awesome! Definitely buying a 1gig Duo Pro then! When I'm on the go I can load a couple movies on my memory stick and still have room for game save files!
Panajev2001a
GAF's Pleasant Genius
Mrbob said:
:O
The creative Zen has been touted for being decent image quality. PSP stomps it! Now the PSP just needs a 20 gig HDD! :lol
I've been reading that video playback thread, and if I can convert my full length DVD movies into 400-500 MB files that is going to be awesome! Definitely buying a 1gig Duo Pro then! When I'm on the go I can load a couple movies on my memory stick and still have room for game save files!
Buy Sandisk
.Lord Error
Insane For Sony
I know it's real (actually I don't know a single LCD that doesn't have some ghosting on moving objects) - I'm just not sure which devkit and which retail unit uses what screen. It seems a bit unbelievable that they'd be switching screens after two weeks of production like that - that's why I think retail unit just has the latest screen (from the latest devkit)
Panajev2001a
GAF's Pleasant Genius
Mrbob said:
Sandisk co-developed the Memory Stick Pro Duo format with Sony
.Panajev2001a
GAF's Pleasant Genius
Keep calling them rumors... if they were from a single source and an unreliable one I would dismiss them... given also the resports of very high losses on Japanese launch units.. well, it makes sense.tetsuoxb said:
mashoutposse
Ante Up
I bought a 512MB Pro DUO for $85 shipped.
V
Vennt
Unconfirmed Member
I'm a "new experience" kind of guy, so I enjoy & relish every time something new happens.
From my sons first words, to his first use of sarcasm (equally celebrated)
My first driving lesson, to my first 8hr marathon drive, even my first accident (hell, I'm an adrenaline junky).
Seeing my first live gig, to working at one.
All have been among great moments.
The PSP has heralded a new such moment.
I showed a piccy & vid of the PSP to my better half, and before I got the chance to utter my "I'm getting on of these..." dialogues, she beat me to the punch with a "We've gotta get one of those!...". A shocking first.
March can't come soon enough.
From my sons first words, to his first use of sarcasm (equally celebrated)
My first driving lesson, to my first 8hr marathon drive, even my first accident (hell, I'm an adrenaline junky).
Seeing my first live gig, to working at one.
All have been among great moments.
The PSP has heralded a new such moment.
I showed a piccy & vid of the PSP to my better half, and before I got the chance to utter my "I'm getting on of these..." dialogues, she beat me to the punch with a "We've gotta get one of those!...". A shocking first.
March can't come soon enough.
I just got Ridge Racers and Lumines. Haven't even gotten around Lumines yet, but Ridge Racers just brings a tear to my eye (well, that's probably more to having just found out I graduated from college!)...it's amazing. The control, music, visuals...this is what Ridge Racer V should have been. RR also has the BEST soundtrack I've heard in a racing game. Almost all my favorites from past RR games, plus the new tracks are awesome. I'd love it if someone could rip this sountrack already!
I'm supposed to get MGA tomorrow or friday, but I'll probably go ahead and write my impressions today if I get the chance. Still need to play more of everything!
The control, music, visuals...this is what Ridge Racer V should have been. RR also has the BEST soundtrack I've heard in a racing game. Almost all my favorites from past RR games, plus the new tracks are awesome. I'd love it if someone could rip this sountrack already!I'm supposed to get MGA tomorrow or friday, but I'll probably go ahead and write my impressions today if I get the chance. Still need to play more of everything!
Marconelly said:
No, you can see that very "effect" in some home-made videos and even when panning around some zoomed in pix in the photo viewer. It's THE SCREEN, no doubt about that. It's like when a pixel is heavy filled with colors (say, it's black) it takes a fraction of a second to "wear off" when going from black to white. In that fraction, you see the ghost of teh previous pixel.
TTP said:
It seems to depend on the game from what I've experienced. There is some slight ghosting in Vampire Chronicles, but you get used to it instantly, and I've seen color bleed ONLY on the Rally-X mini game in Ridge Racers.
Lord Error
Insane For Sony
Hmm, I see. I can see simillar thing on my CRT monitor even, in a pitch black room when high contrast objects move on the screen. It's probably more pronounced on a LCD, I'll have to wait and see (damnit distant friend from Japan, send that package already
) HERE IS THE VIDEO It's a little bit blurry (out of focus on close distance) but you can see the bleeding easly when I switch from 3rd person view to 1st person view. Just look at the car. When it disappears...
Edit: link fixed, I guess
Edit: link fixed, I guess
in that case, its more likely down to the response rate of the LCD panel. Is it quoted anywhere? I'd expect a minimum of 25ms, but 16 would be ideal (matches a 60Hz update)
Nothing to worry about, its inherent in all LCD panels to some extent. I think its a separate thing from the ridge racer cars, which do seem to be deliberate.
Nothing to worry about, its inherent in all LCD panels to some extent. I think its a separate thing from the ridge racer cars, which do seem to be deliberate.
Lord Error
Insane For Sony
*edit* link now works
Lord Error
Insane For Sony
Yeah, I can see the ghosting. It's less distracting that I thought, though. It's weird that it's more pronouced on the red car than it is on the rest of the scene, that makes it look almost like an intentional effect (although I really doubt it is)
Red color bleeding is actually somewhat due to physiology as well. The color red stays active on the cones (or whichever structure sees the color red) longer than the other colors, so the tendency to see bleeding on red parts of an image is more likely. You'll see red color bleeding on CRT's at times as well.
It's also why the tendency is for motorists driving red cars to more easily get speeding tickets, because they attract more attention because the color stays on the cops eye longer (aside from the whole, "I have a red car becuase I'm a motor freak who drives ultra fast" thing).
It's also why the tendency is for motorists driving red cars to more easily get speeding tickets, because they attract more attention because the color stays on the cops eye longer (aside from the whole, "I have a red car becuase I'm a motor freak who drives ultra fast" thing).
mashoutposse
Ante Up
fugimax said:
Tets came through?
Lord Error
Insane For Sony
It'll be interesting to see if the screen will be any different on the US launch units.
MassiveAttack
Banned
Associated Press
PlayStation Portable Likely to Be Big Hit
Wednesday December 22, 2:36 pm ET
By Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer
PRODUCT REVIEW: Sony's New Multimedia PlayStation Portable Is Likely to Be a Worldwide Hit
TOKYO (AP) -- Even if you don't particularly like video games, you'd best resign yourself to what appears certain to anyone who's spent a little time with Sony's new PlayStation Portable: This is a gadget that's likely to eventually become a worldwide household hit. That holds true especially if your household includes, as mine does, a young man who grew up with the original PlayStation.
Yet while the PSP is a dazzling game machine, delivering sharp graphics on a 4.3-inch display and weighing just 10 ounces, it is also a multimedia player designed for music and movies.
And within the sleek, black plastic shell of this 7-inch by 3-inch wonder, there is Wi-Fi wireless connectivity and a USB 2.0 port for mating with computers.
The only big drawback is Sony's decision to go with a proprietary format for the PSP's main media: a 1.8-gigabyte disc the size of an Olympic medal. It's dubbed UMD for Universal Media Disc.
That's what the games come on -- and Sony Corp. promises to also deliver Hollywood movies on the discs, though it hasn't said when or offered a lineup.
The PSP went on sale in Japan this month and won't be available in the United States and Europe until next year. It's likely that the U.S. price will be similar to the $190 the device costs in Japan. That feels like a bargain to anyone who remembers paying more than $299 for the original PlayStation in the mid-1990s.
But then, the PSP has a competitor this time around in Nintendo's DS handheld. Perhaps that's why the PSP is stoked with enough technology to be worth twice its price tag -- it's got a Memory Stick slot for storing music and photos when the 32 megabytes of onboard memory don't suffice. You'll have to buy the Memory Stick, though.
There's good news, also, for music fans who prize to open MP3 standard for music. Sony formerly pushed its ATRAC proprietary standard. No longer. The PSP is an MP3 adherent, and its sound quality is quite good.
If you want to play video that doesn't come on a UMD disc, Sony recommends you buy special $10 computer software that will convert it to the MPEG-4 video format that the PSP and Memory Stick support.
Because of its networking capabilities, the PSP looks to have an edge on Nintendo DS. The new Nintendo handheld works strictly as a game machine.
As for recording your own content for playing on the PSP, Sony hasn't said whether it will sell recordable versions of UMD discs.
PSP games range in price from $24 to $46, but unfortunately there aren't many yet. About a dozen are available so far in Japan, including "Hot Shots Golf" from Sony Computer Entertainment and "Vampire Chronicle: The Chaos Tower" from Capcom Co.
Sony says some 100 games are in the works, with about 20 titles promised by the end of the year.
By contrast, about 15 Nintendo DS games are on sale in Japan so far. But Nintendo DS, which costs about $145, can also play all the Game Boy Advance games.
In the games I played on the PSP, the attention to detail in the graphics was impressive.
In scenes from "Ridge Racers" made by Namco Ltd., camera flashes blink from roaring crowds and frothy waves break on sandy beaches. I found myself pushing on the joystick button for steering until my thumb got sore, happily tilting the PSP with the twists and turns as roaring race cars zipped through a swerving course, screeching on corners and sending tire-skidding virtual sparks on the screen.
The display, from Sharp Corp., is surprisingly easy on the eyes. The removable Lithium Ion battery lasts about four to six hours for games on a single charge. And the built-in 802.11b Wi-Fi chip allows up to 16 PSPs to play together.
PSP also has a microphone slot for future software with voice-recognition and an infrared connection whose uses aren't yet spelled out.
My son needed just a few minutes of checking out PSP before deciding he's definitely going to buy one.
Never mind that he isn't exactly sure how he's going to use its non-game functions (He's already got an iPod, a digital camera, a cell phone and a laptop).
Don't worry, mom, he said, everybody is going to figure it out.
PlayStation Portable Likely to Be Big Hit
Wednesday December 22, 2:36 pm ET
By Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer
PRODUCT REVIEW: Sony's New Multimedia PlayStation Portable Is Likely to Be a Worldwide Hit
TOKYO (AP) -- Even if you don't particularly like video games, you'd best resign yourself to what appears certain to anyone who's spent a little time with Sony's new PlayStation Portable: This is a gadget that's likely to eventually become a worldwide household hit. That holds true especially if your household includes, as mine does, a young man who grew up with the original PlayStation.
Yet while the PSP is a dazzling game machine, delivering sharp graphics on a 4.3-inch display and weighing just 10 ounces, it is also a multimedia player designed for music and movies.
And within the sleek, black plastic shell of this 7-inch by 3-inch wonder, there is Wi-Fi wireless connectivity and a USB 2.0 port for mating with computers.
The only big drawback is Sony's decision to go with a proprietary format for the PSP's main media: a 1.8-gigabyte disc the size of an Olympic medal. It's dubbed UMD for Universal Media Disc.
That's what the games come on -- and Sony Corp. promises to also deliver Hollywood movies on the discs, though it hasn't said when or offered a lineup.
The PSP went on sale in Japan this month and won't be available in the United States and Europe until next year. It's likely that the U.S. price will be similar to the $190 the device costs in Japan. That feels like a bargain to anyone who remembers paying more than $299 for the original PlayStation in the mid-1990s.
But then, the PSP has a competitor this time around in Nintendo's DS handheld. Perhaps that's why the PSP is stoked with enough technology to be worth twice its price tag -- it's got a Memory Stick slot for storing music and photos when the 32 megabytes of onboard memory don't suffice. You'll have to buy the Memory Stick, though.
There's good news, also, for music fans who prize to open MP3 standard for music. Sony formerly pushed its ATRAC proprietary standard. No longer. The PSP is an MP3 adherent, and its sound quality is quite good.
If you want to play video that doesn't come on a UMD disc, Sony recommends you buy special $10 computer software that will convert it to the MPEG-4 video format that the PSP and Memory Stick support.
Because of its networking capabilities, the PSP looks to have an edge on Nintendo DS. The new Nintendo handheld works strictly as a game machine.
As for recording your own content for playing on the PSP, Sony hasn't said whether it will sell recordable versions of UMD discs.
PSP games range in price from $24 to $46, but unfortunately there aren't many yet. About a dozen are available so far in Japan, including "Hot Shots Golf" from Sony Computer Entertainment and "Vampire Chronicle: The Chaos Tower" from Capcom Co.
Sony says some 100 games are in the works, with about 20 titles promised by the end of the year.
By contrast, about 15 Nintendo DS games are on sale in Japan so far. But Nintendo DS, which costs about $145, can also play all the Game Boy Advance games.
In the games I played on the PSP, the attention to detail in the graphics was impressive.
In scenes from "Ridge Racers" made by Namco Ltd., camera flashes blink from roaring crowds and frothy waves break on sandy beaches. I found myself pushing on the joystick button for steering until my thumb got sore, happily tilting the PSP with the twists and turns as roaring race cars zipped through a swerving course, screeching on corners and sending tire-skidding virtual sparks on the screen.
The display, from Sharp Corp., is surprisingly easy on the eyes. The removable Lithium Ion battery lasts about four to six hours for games on a single charge. And the built-in 802.11b Wi-Fi chip allows up to 16 PSPs to play together.
PSP also has a microphone slot for future software with voice-recognition and an infrared connection whose uses aren't yet spelled out.
My son needed just a few minutes of checking out PSP before deciding he's definitely going to buy one.
Never mind that he isn't exactly sure how he's going to use its non-game functions (He's already got an iPod, a digital camera, a cell phone and a laptop).
Don't worry, mom, he said, everybody is going to figure it out.
mashoutposse
Ante Up
Nice article; on point.
EDIT - Still playing... impressions coming soon
EDIT - Still playing... impressions coming soon
its perfect timing too. Release early next year in the west, while it still has current gen graphics, and they have time to get steam up before it looks out of date when next-gen hits. When I say 'out of date' I mean you lose some of the wow factor you get when its replicating current gen stuff - i.e the PS in your pocket.
Panajev2001a
GAF's Pleasant Genius
Odnetnin said:
If there were some problems in the chip that got solved late and that meant for the manufacturing plant being able to process a limited amount of chips and components for the Japanese launch of the PSP then I think that they paid VERY high for each unit sold (I would not find hard to believe what JackFrost and DCharlie said about manufacturing costs).
The other side of the coin is that once the kinks are taken out from the production lines and they can increase their monthly production rates to considerably higher volumes than the losses they will have to take on each unit to mantain the 19,800 Yen launch price will be quite greatly reduced.
Ask General Motors how much it would cost them if they had to sell you a $25,000 Lumina if they had to stop and restart the manufacturing plant for your customized model to be produced: you'll be amazed at the losses they would have to take to hit that price point.
Panajev2001a
GAF's Pleasant Genius
Vennt said:I'm a "new experience" kind of guy, so I enjoy & relish every time something new happens.
From my sons first words, to his first use of sarcasm (equally celebrated)
My first driving lesson, to my first 8hr marathon drive, even my first accident (hell, I'm an adrenaline junky).
Seeing my first live gig, to working at one.
All have been among great moments.
The PSP has heralded a new such moment.
I showed a piccy & vid of the PSP to my better half, and before I got the chance to utter my "I'm getting on of these..." dialogues, she beat me to the punch with a "We've gotta get one of those!...". A shocking first.
March can't come soon enough.
I got a similar reaction from my girlfriend: understandable reaction as the PSP is undeniably sexy
.I'm very skeptical of them tinkering with the silicon up until two weeks before launch..
Silicon is usually done very early in the development process for the very reason that it does go through a lot of testing, etc. For a bug to survive up until a few weeks before the launch..? Very improbable.
Second, I'm not sure it's possible to go from finishing the silicon to shipping systems in 2 weeks...that's pretty ridiculous, even if you are willing to pay through the nose for it.
Silicon is usually done very early in the development process for the very reason that it does go through a lot of testing, etc. For a bug to survive up until a few weeks before the launch..? Very improbable.
Second, I'm not sure it's possible to go from finishing the silicon to shipping systems in 2 weeks...that's pretty ridiculous, even if you are willing to pay through the nose for it.
DCharlie
And even i am moderately surprised
"Sony says some 100 games are in the works, with about 20 titles promised by the end of the year.
By contrast, about 15 Nintendo DS games are on sale in Japan so far."
Just as an update, there are 14 titles available for the PSP and 12 for the DS at the moment.
By contrast, about 15 Nintendo DS games are on sale in Japan so far."
Just as an update, there are 14 titles available for the PSP and 12 for the DS at the moment.
Here's my thoughts about the 3 games I have with the PSP :
Ride Racers - I had forgotten how good ridge racer was for a pure arcade style racing game. At first I really only picked this up because I wanted something else to play on the PSP besides golf (which I never got), and ultimately this turned out to be my second favorite game on the PSP so far.
Metal Gear Acid : Playing through Metal Gear Solid 3 first before this game just made MG:A all the less impressive honestly. It's a bit jarring to go from pure action to a card battle game.
That being said, Metal Gear Acid is actually a pretty fun game (assuming you can ignore the awesomeness that was MGS3).
Lumines : This game gave me that same feeling I got when I first fired up Tetris on the original game boy (I've only ever owned the original GB and the PSP for handhelds). Time itself just literally warps around you and fly by the instant you fire up this game. I'm scared to play this game out of fear that it would suck all my time away from other things.
Battery life is acceptable, and yes there's ghosting on these units (which was somewhat disappointing). I have one dead pixel that's stuck on blue against a black background, but the pixel density of the devices does a pretty good job of hiding it in most cases.
For me a 16ms LCD shows nearly zero ghosting, the PSP LCD seems to be in the 25-35ms range from what I can tell in comparison. (judging by how similar the ghosting effect was with my old 25ms LCD).
Ride Racers - I had forgotten how good ridge racer was for a pure arcade style racing game. At first I really only picked this up because I wanted something else to play on the PSP besides golf (which I never got), and ultimately this turned out to be my second favorite game on the PSP so far.
Metal Gear Acid : Playing through Metal Gear Solid 3 first before this game just made MG:A all the less impressive honestly. It's a bit jarring to go from pure action to a card battle game.
That being said, Metal Gear Acid is actually a pretty fun game (assuming you can ignore the awesomeness that was MGS3).
Lumines : This game gave me that same feeling I got when I first fired up Tetris on the original game boy (I've only ever owned the original GB and the PSP for handhelds). Time itself just literally warps around you and fly by the instant you fire up this game. I'm scared to play this game out of fear that it would suck all my time away from other things.
Battery life is acceptable, and yes there's ghosting on these units (which was somewhat disappointing). I have one dead pixel that's stuck on blue against a black background, but the pixel density of the devices does a pretty good job of hiding it in most cases.
For me a 16ms LCD shows nearly zero ghosting, the PSP LCD seems to be in the 25-35ms range from what I can tell in comparison. (judging by how similar the ghosting effect was with my old 25ms LCD).
DCharlie
And even i am moderately surprised
"That being said, Metal Gear Acid is actually a pretty fun game (assuming you can ignore the awesomeness that was MGS3). "
i'd go the other way. MGA is a big departure for the series, and a pleasent one at that. I'm way more interested in MGA at the moment that going back to pick up MGS3 again.
Despite the grainy look, the game looks very nice. The initial dialogue section is TOO FAST. I can read a bit of japanese, but not at that speed! It disappears as soon as the sentence is done!
But yes, so far MGA is great.
Musou - not too convinced by this one i'm afraid. Will give it another try but i became bored very very quickly. The AI is much worse than usual , enemies pop in and out of existance pretty regularly, and even when they are there only one of them seems to actually bother attacking you.
i'd go the other way. MGA is a big departure for the series, and a pleasent one at that. I'm way more interested in MGA at the moment that going back to pick up MGS3 again.
Despite the grainy look, the game looks very nice. The initial dialogue section is TOO FAST. I can read a bit of japanese, but not at that speed! It disappears as soon as the sentence is done!
But yes, so far MGA is great.
Musou - not too convinced by this one i'm afraid. Will give it another try but i became bored very very quickly. The AI is much worse than usual , enemies pop in and out of existance pretty regularly, and even when they are there only one of them seems to actually bother attacking you.
Lord Error
Insane For Sony
How does PSP fare in other screen attributes compared to latest LCD monitors you've seen? What's the retention rate on the Mac Powerbook laptop screen?
I have a feeling (I'm almost sure, actually) that PSPs screen has higher retention rate on red color than it has on others. That's quite unusual.
I'm really hyped for the PSP after reading all of your impressions.
1. Has someone tested how long the battery lasts if you play Lumines with different settings because it hasn't such 'awesome' graphics like Ridge Racers?
2. Watching movies seems like a really nice idea I'd like to do with my PSP but Memory Sticks are quite expensive in Europe. Is there a chance I could connect the PSP with my iPod or other devices?
1. Has someone tested how long the battery lasts if you play Lumines with different settings because it hasn't such 'awesome' graphics like Ridge Racers?
2. Watching movies seems like a really nice idea I'd like to do with my PSP but Memory Sticks are quite expensive in Europe. Is there a chance I could connect the PSP with my iPod or other devices?
From that article:
Does the PSP have built in flash storage or something or is he confusing it with system RAM (I have no idea how much RAM the PSP has either as a matter of fact, I haven't followed the technicalities of the machine very well)?
Also, count me as someone else who is skeptical of the whole "bug in the silicon two weeks before launch" thing. That seems highly improbable to me as well, unless one wants to see the apparent lack of a second shipment yet as a sign that they possibly haven't ramped up production on the "bug fixed" version enough yet.
Does the PSP have built in flash storage or something or is he confusing it with system RAM (I have no idea how much RAM the PSP has either as a matter of fact, I haven't followed the technicalities of the machine very well)?
Also, count me as someone else who is skeptical of the whole "bug in the silicon two weeks before launch" thing. That seems highly improbable to me as well, unless one wants to see the apparent lack of a second shipment yet as a sign that they possibly haven't ramped up production on the "bug fixed" version enough yet.
Marconelly said:
Most PC LCD monitors are 25ms. Many LCD TVs are still 25ms, but the good ones are 16ms.
In theory, a 16ms should be perfect for 60Hz, as it matches the refresh rate well. Some 25ms panels are good too - a lot depends on how you drive it.
There are a few 12ms PC monitors out there too.
PSP LCD has a way better viewing angle than most LCD monitors, and its on a par with the best LCD TVs. Response rate I don't know, but its pretty good.
DCharlie
And even i am moderately surprised
"Hey DCharlie, now its launched, fancy letting us in on the rumours going around a couple of weeks ago? What was the supposed fatal problem?"
a particular game was burnt to UMD and returned to the company in question. When they tried to run the game, they found that the game froze on regular occassions. On contacting sony to report a grade A bug, they were told that this was a glitch in the hardware not the software and that they were currently trying to address the issue and that the game should work fine.
I should point out that this was with 2 weeks to go, it's most likely that Sony would have had an idea of the issue before this point.
a particular game was burnt to UMD and returned to the company in question. When they tried to run the game, they found that the game froze on regular occassions. On contacting sony to report a grade A bug, they were told that this was a glitch in the hardware not the software and that they were currently trying to address the issue and that the game should work fine.
I should point out that this was with 2 weeks to go, it's most likely that Sony would have had an idea of the issue before this point.