PlayStation Portable

By Kristan Reed Published 17 December, 2004

We go hands-on with Sony's first foray into handheld gaming.

'PlayStation Portable' Screenshot 1

This feature is brought to you courtesy of our good friends persistence and luck. Getting our mucky mitts on the enigmatic PSP has been a fraught process from day one; encased behind Perspex at E3 (and evidently linked to a bigger machine behind the scenes), and unavailable for a hands-on until we physically went and bought a vastly overpriced Japanese import yesterday, it's been hard work trying to tell the world what a PlayStation Portable is like to touch and feel. If you were into conspiracy theories, it wouldn't take a great deal of imagination to convince yourself that Sony didn't actually want anyone outside of Japan to be talking about its first step in the choppy waters of handheld gaming.

Many have come and gone in trying to take on the mighty Nintendo and all have fallen by the wayside: Sega, Atari, SNK to name but three of the more memorable casualties. Only now has Sony - the great pioneer of portable audio - felt the time is right to dip its not inconsiderable toes into this market, and many have been almost desperate to see it fail. Not least of all Nintendo, which seems to spend as much of its time taking pot shots at its rival than actually going about the business of keeping up the good work.

After all the sniping and negative publicity surrounding the PSP, it's something of a shock when you actually get it out of the packaging. A glossy, sleek scratch magnet of a device about six by three inches, by one inch deep, it's hardly what anyone would deem to be pocket sized. Dwarfing the likes of the already chunky N-Gage, and easily as heavy as the equally lumbering Nintendo DS (although much wider than the bulked out DS) it's a device that'll easily slip in an inside jacket pocket, but not an item you'd feel remotely comfortable about slipping in your jeans, unlike, say, the GBA SP. Not only would you have a job fitting it in there, you'd almost certainly risk scratching the screen beyond redemption, so the first thing you're going to want to do is buy some sort of carry case, because the PSP is one device you're definitely not going to want to scratch under any circumstances - and it doesn't even bear thinking about the mess you'll make if you drop it. Accidents will happen, as they always do, but the PSP is not going to fare too well next to its sensibly enclosed rivals. That bare exposed screen is asking for trouble.

Some have commented on the build quality of the PSP, and it's a slightly unfair accusation. The device feels perfectly robust in virtually all departments with a decent, comfortable D-pad and typically smooth symbol buttons placed exactly where you'd expect. The left and right shoulder buttons do admittedly feel somewhat cheap and a little loose for our liking, but it's hardly a deal breaker. The clincher for us (apart from the frankly enormous screen, which we'll come to in a moment) is the presence of the analogue nub - a tiny circular joystick in the bottom left corner that performs the exact same functions as the D-pad (and reportedly isn't actually a bona fide analogue stick in any case, although you'd be hard pressed to notice the difference). In the one game we've tested out on the PSP to date, the marvellous Ridge Racers, it feels so perfect it's hard to imagine it could be any better.

'PlayStation Portable' Screenshot 2

Elsewhere, dotted along the bottom of the face of the unit are few useful function buttons, such as volume control, a three-step brightness toggle, a Home button (which allows you to instantly quit your application), Select and Start, a music button (a use for which we've yet to identify due to our lack of a Memory Stick Duo) and a side-mounted Power button, which acts rather like the PS2's on/off/reset button, although features a handy Hold feature which locks the whole thing into place to avoid those nasty little accidents.

And that's not all; there's also a pull-down Memory Stick Duo flap in the left corner, not to mention an Open button at the top to enable insertion of UMD media, a small USB socket next to it, as well as IR receiver, 5V DC in, headphone socket, remote control port and, of course, access to the battery pack which fits snugly on the left hand portion of the backside of the unit.

Although it's a fairly hefty unit to get to grips with initially, it instantly feels comfortable, and after several hours of use we can report a slightly numb right thumb from constantly holding down the accelerator in Ridge Racers, but none of the associated pain from stylus wielding/console grippage on the DS. In many way it feels like a slightly chunky wireless joypad in terms of how you hold it, its overall comfort and ease of use. The function buttons feel like they could have had more give (it often feels like you're not even pressing them at all), but apart from that it's a fine piece of design.

The centrepiece of the whole show is, without doubt, the impossibly large widescreen display. Delivering a true widescreen display as standard is something too few games have as it is, and we're delighted Sony has seen fit to break with handheld tradition and plump for an aspect ratio that gives the PSP an instantly impressive sense of proportion. For Sony to go for this size might well drain the battery a little more than it would have otherwise, but frankly it's worth it. On top of that, the crisp, bright backlit display is as pin sharp as we've ever seen, and certainly does the unit perfect justice. Next to any other handheld there really is no comparison, and even the most ardent Sony hater will have to concede that as far as gaming goes, there has never been a finer screen to play a handheld game on. Better still, the limitations of the tech inside will effectively be hidden by the limited size of the screen (compared with, say, a TV), giving the illusion of a higher resolution than you're seeing in real life. This might go some way to explaining why games look infinitely better on a real PSP than watching a movie on your PC on Media Player.

'PlayStation Portable' Screenshot 3

As far as the thorny issue of battery life is concerned, it's probably too early for us to give any meaningful data. We've only run Ridge Racers on the unit thus far, and although we managed well in excess of three hours, we fully expect wireless multiplayer to run the unit down quicker but we await to find out to what extent. [And we'll be await-ing until next week, since my own import's been delayed. Curses. -Tom] Once we've tried multiple games out in differing conditions we'll be sure to report back with our findings.

One exceptionally disappointing element of the PSP is the ludicrously tinny speakers which render Ridge Racers' tunes into a trebly mess - rather like being on a train and having to put up with overhearing someone music escaping from their headphones at high volume. Using headphones obviously overcomes this, but also has the drawback of making the low sample rate of the speech much more apparent - clearly one of the compromises we'll have to get used to given the lower capacity of UMD than DVD.

So, the unit is technically impressive, it feels good. What about the games? Well, naturally we'll be updating the site with our thoughts on the games as and when they appear - Ridge Racers being the first of those. As for what we're excited about, it's hard to think of all that many to be brutally blunt. Metal Gear Acid is pretty much top of our list for now, and Lumines (Tetsuya Mizuguchi's audio/visual puzzle experiment) should be fun for those of us into crazy leftfield Japanese dabblings, but much of the rest of the currently announced first-party line up leaves us somewhat cold.

Ape Academy has the potential to be fun, GT4 speaks for itself, Everybody's Golf has plenty going for it, and WipEout could revive old glories (but going on current series form we're waiting to be convinced), but it's going to take more than Fired Up (Hardware-alike multiplayer vehicle destruction), MediEvil, Formula One and the unimpressive Football to have gamers rushing out to place pre-orders judging by the video footage we've seen so far. (And which you can find on Eurofiles.) All the unit needs is something with the pulling power of PES or GTA (in particular) to make that happen, but in the latter case we're wondering whether the implications of data streaming will render the battery incapable of coping and provoke all manner of bad publicity for Sony.

It's still very early days for the PSP, but the signs are looking good. The unit's clearly technically capable of wowing a generation of PlayStation gamers into making a purchase, and Sony knows it only needs to tempt a fraction of its overall audience to make a success out of the system. It remains to be seen how important the multimedia functions will be to the system, and it certainly doesn't help that Sony has thrown up arbitrary boundaries by tying the unit to Memory Stick Duo (as opposed to the type used in its digital cameras, frustratingly). UMD movie support is a nice bonus as far as we’re concerned, but little more than that. We're certainly unaware of anyone daft enough to buy a DVD movie only to buy another copy to watch on their handheld. How Sony plans to make this work is anyone's guess, as is the whole audio area for that matter. But to be frank, we're not and probably never will be interested in the PSP for anything apart from its gaming functions, and in that department it has the potential to either fall on its face or fly off the shelves. The technology is there - all it needs now is the games...

Picture of Kristan.

About Kristan Reed

Kristan is a former editor of Eurogamer, dad, Stone Roses bore and Norwich City supporter who sometimes mutters optimistically about Team Silent getting back together.

Read more articles from Kristan by visiting the Kristan Reed archive page.

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Comments (77) Latest comment 7 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • L0cky #1 7 years ago

    It's so good/bad it destroyed the front page.

  • statix101 #2 7 years ago

    Will be worth getting in about 18mths i reckon, by then Sony will probably have released a newer, more powerful battery. If they can get it upto 8hrs,regardless of what type of use, that will be the tipping point for me as when to purchase one

  • L0cky #3 7 years ago

    so krudster, why is the analogue stick not a proper analogue stick?

    edit: The main deal breaker for me here is probably the battery life too; the other one is the price. Perhaps they could make a game only version to go with that 8 hour battery somewhere down the line...
    Edited by 1 at 17/12/04 @ 18:09

  • Derblington #4 7 years ago

    I want this as well as a DS now. But I think I'll wait and see how they do with the battery thing too, before I place more cash in Sony's pocketses.
    Edited by 1 at 17/12/04 @ 18:13

  • masterson #5 7 years ago

    Having never played on my GBA for more than an hour or so I don't imagine the battery bothering me too much. All I know is I want one, and quite frankly any self respecting nerdy boy should do too.

  • andrewfromdoncaster #6 7 years ago

    Sounds alright; but Ridge Racer is quite a dull affair IMO. It's just too simple - an exact copy of the shite that i used to be excited by in arcades. Are you in a position to review the titles even though its Japanese or is it just gonna be an impressions article?

  • #7 7 years ago

    meh

  • Artemus #8 7 years ago

    'the marvellous Ridge Racers'
    - SOLD!

    Wow, I was expecting this to be a bask of negativity. Well there's the inevitable comments to follow...

  • masterson #9 7 years ago

    Sony could have gold plated it, given it it's own fusion reactor, made it indestructible and got a super model to wank off the buyer at the point of purchase and some of you miserable gits would still moan.

  • ruttyboy #10 7 years ago

    Aaaah, but they didn't did they?! A fatal flaw. ;)

  • timo180 #11 7 years ago

    It really does make the DS look very ugly indeed.

  • Zero Beat #12 7 years ago

    Lucky buggers!

    I've been preparing for Euro PSP launch by looking at memory sticks (yes, already!).

    There's four types of Memory Stick Duo, two of which are new. The old types are:

    - Memory Stick Duo (Duo = small)
    - Memory Stick PRO Duo (PRO = higher capacity and faster transfer)

    and the two new types are:

    - Memory Stick PRO Duo - NEW
    - Memory Stick PRO Duo HIGH SPEED

    The PRO Duo NEW is basically the same as the old PRO Duo but the card is more resiliant to high and low temperatures and black to show its newness. The old type is cream/white.

    The HIGH SPEED card is just that with an apparently higher transfer rate. The numbers Sony have given their Sony Style shop and other online retailers don't make any sense though. The plain PRO Duo has a max transfer rate of 160Mbps either way and the HIGH SPEED has a max transfer rate of 80Mbps. I reckon they've mixed up their bits with their bytes with the HIGH SPEED card so the old type is 20MBps and HIGH SPEED 80MBps. The HIGH SPEED cards are brown.

    Both new types of card are backwards compatible with any device compatible with PRO Duo's but they might not take advantage of the HIGH SPEED's higher transfer.

  • ChocNut #13 7 years ago

    Got mine. its a dream.

  • Aretak #14 7 years ago

    This new blue colour scheme makes me feel all tingly in my pants.

  • savant #15 7 years ago

    Definitely a smudge magnet too - take a look at the Gamespot vids to see greasy fingermarks all over the screen from a few minutes' play. I think I'll wait for version 2.0 before committing one way or the other. I only hope all this competition makes Nintendo reduce the price of the SP some more, as it's still extorionate over here. Same for the games.

  • cerebrum #16 7 years ago

    The analog nub was a neat idea, but it's placement looks poor and the fact it's not a true analog stick is disappointing.

    Some interesting criticisms of the machine can be found here: http://nfg.2y.net/games/ psp/

  • Derblington #17 7 years ago

    Why didn't they put 2 small analogue nubins on it? It would emulate the Dualshock almost exactly and would make FPS's easier to play.

  • absolutezero #18 7 years ago

    PSP Ninja Star!!

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v282/abicion/killer.g if

  • terminalterror #19 7 years ago

    The machine itself is very desirable indeed. However, as I don't commute, and I only take long public transport journeys once a month if that, I can't see when I would be able to sit down with it for extended periods of time (it doesn't seemed to be aimed at the pick up and play marked the DS is), where I couldn't just play on a console or PC instead.

  • ruttyboy #20 7 years ago

    Tengu, give it up mate...

  • tengu #21 7 years ago

    Oh shit... I said I'd stop, didn't I? Must have been having too much fun with it...

    Right, really mean it this time. No more.

  • ChocNut #22 7 years ago

    For those criticizing the nub - don't. You'll feel silly when you actually use it - its extremely precise and feels very good to use.

  • IronGiant #23 7 years ago

    "So judging by the article, it has all sorts of small problems, it needs GTA to cope, but it looks stylish.
    Even more reasons to get DS."

    Eh? read the comments in the forum, people who actually have a PSP love it. Why does this always have to become a dick waving contest, it's about time Nintendo had some serious competition in the handheld market.


  • Henrik #24 7 years ago

    I think Sony will be able to tap the mature (as in doesn't-need-to-ask-parents-for-money-to-buy-games) market more effectively than Nintendo. Which makes this more or less PS1 vs N64 all over again.
    All Sony needs is a PSP version of GTA and maybe a WiFi-enabled multiplayer FPS and they're set.

  • TripSkyway #25 7 years ago

    The launch line up was pretty dull, although the Metal Gear game looks worth a crack. The line up seems to be working on the japanese though, even my girlfriends dad is after a psp, to play japanese chess on. I'm sure he'd never even dream of buying a ds.

  • PhatCat #26 7 years ago

    I don't like the fact that unlike the DS, it offers nothing new. I assume that it will be a vessel for endless PS and PS2 ports, which confuses me as I don't know what Sony expect from it. I mean, if you want to play PS2 games, then buy a PS2. I could be totally wrong of course, and it may fly off the shelves and be an enormous success. Personally, If I was contemplating one I would probably wait for the improved v2, considering some of the quality issues recently highlighted on various sites.
    Edited by 2 at 18/12/04 @ 04:53

  • #27 7 years ago

    what's the situatrion with jap rpgs going to be?

    probably the biggest reason for me to invest in one is to catch up on the ones i've missed by not having a ps2.

    also rpgs do seem to be rather ideal for handhelds.

  • O-Fox #28 7 years ago

    Dunno if anyone has mentioned this yet in the comments, but Gamespot has confirmed that the analogue stick is actaully true analogue.

  • bdaggers #29 7 years ago

    And the inevitable comparison between RR on PSP and on DS - shurely shome mishtake ?

    I`m not a fan boi, (have no Sony bias) but surley this comparison alone will be the king maker for the "average Joe"

    N64 vs PS2 anyone ?

  • aabyssx #30 7 years ago

    http://search.ebay.com/psp_W0QQsokeywordredirectZ1QQf romZR8

    A small profit? Anyone?

  • bdaggers #31 7 years ago

    "Will these people also buy PSP?" - Ken

    Why not ?

    They have already bought into the PS *BRAND*, so they will feel comfortable and safe.
    They will get wirless multiplayer and portability.
    It looks a sh*t load better than a DS - hardware and graphics

    If games like GTA are converted and have mulitplayer added (wirelessly - no bloody broadband needed) then I would buy it again.


  • bdaggers #32 7 years ago

    "N64 vs PS2 anyone ?

    What do you mean by this Mr Bdaggers?" - Mr Ken

    Just that it seems we will be seeing N64 ports on DS competing
    with PS2(and PS1?) ports on the PSP.

    A fair fight ? methinks not

  • bdaggers #33 7 years ago

    Also, i would suggest that PSP *may* have the selling points that get the non-"hardcore" gamer interested.

    Big N may keep their demographic of interested GBA upgraders, but what if Sony invents a whole new demographic of "casual" portable loving gamers ?

    I have a Palm PDA, and it plays some great touchscreen stuff ("bubbles" for instance) and I don`t need an extra thumb to do it. It weighs next to nothing, and fits very comfortably in a shirt pocket.

    Show me a game that *needs* two screens and I`ll be interested.

    Sorry, sounding a bit fanboi-ish, but EG has recently been an ardent DS apologist. I cant see an objective reason why ?

  • ReGuRgIt8oR #34 7 years ago

    The button with the musical note on it appears to be a mute button - if you hold it in for a second.

    As for smudgey screens - don't touch it - it's not a DS you know.

  • The-Bodybuilder #35 7 years ago

    PSP- Not interest at the moment. Crappy games, low battery life, ps2 ports. So far, I haven't seen anything worthy enough to make me purchase it.

    DS- Two screens? Get da fcuk outta here. graphics are bland, and I'm already seeing N64 ports. Has more games than a PSP, but non of them interest me. I still refuse to play games with a touch screen, my large hands just can't cope.

    the PSP only saving grace (IMO) is a longer battery life and better games.
    The DS saving grace? ninja gaiden DS.

  • Niklas #36 7 years ago

    Better than Halo then? :)

    PSP hardware seems gorgeous, but it still has a lot to prove regarding it's games. Friends are telling me that Ridge Racers kicks ass, and it sure does, but hey, at the moment, there are no blockbusteresque games.

    It smells something like the release of the PS2.

    If we instead have a look at the DS, it has, in my mind, the opposite problem. (At least when it makes it's European debut.) There are some "give-me-now-and-shut-up!" type of games, but the hardware is a bit dodgy and I still haven't been convinced with that double-screen thingy.

    But Sony wont make any exceptions this time. The PSP will be a success. I'm sure it will freak some people out with PES, GTA and Katamari Damacy.
    Edited by 2 at 18/12/04 @ 18:25

  • Beano #37 7 years ago

    GaRIE : "I have to remain sceptical of this particular review."

    It's not a review - it's FIRST IMPRESSIONS... read the text !

  • Subquest #38 7 years ago

    As somebody who doesn't own a PS2 - I'm very interested in the PSP. As a PC gamer I've never seen the need for owning a console at home - but a mobile PS2 - now we're talking.

    Some points: Size - I don't give a fuck. It's not THAT big, and certainly doesn't appear to be much bigger than a DS. Fragility - I'll take of it, Mum, honest! I'll get a pouch for it. Screen - listen, I've no preference for Sony or Nintendo, I couldn't care less. But give me a huge widescreen over two screens anyday. Games - PS2 ports will be fine for me, but I'm sure Sony have plans beyond that. Movies - don't care at the mo, but we'll see.

    At the end of the day though, it's all about the games boys...
    Edited by 1 at 18/12/04 @ 17:13

  • bdaggers #39 7 years ago

    JayPea and others -

    What is your opinion of the screen ? - scratch magnet as per the "first impression" report, or durable enough ?
    Have YOU had a UMD pop out of its own accord ?
    Impression on battery life ?

  • the creeper #40 7 years ago

    I suppose it was only a matter of time before NFanboy appeared in this thread with his own brand of witty and pithy comment.

    Regarding GTA appearing on the PSP - Rockstar's announcement the other day that they are working on two PSP titles will of course fuel speculation that one of them will be a GTA. If they can find some way around the obvious streaming difficulties then more power to them. There is also no reason to suspect that it will be a direct port of one of the previous games. When they registered the name GTA: San Andreas, they also registered several other names including GTA: Sin City, GTA: Tokyo, and GTA: Bogota. No doubt some of these are red herrings, but something like Sin City just sounds too much like a GTA game to be completely ignored. Anything is possible, and I for one have my fingers crossed.

    Oh and for the last time - nobody cares that you're not going to buy a PSP. You are precisely no loss to anybody.

    A question for the post-pubescents out there (that means not you NFanboy) - if the analog stick isn't really analog, what is it?

  • tengu #41 7 years ago

    Is it magic?

  • TripSkyway #42 7 years ago

    I bought my Mario today near Tokyo for Y3900. I think I saw most of the PSP games selling for Y4200. The DS puzzle game with the white and Black squares was only 3000ish. The games prices are here are amazing, and the range of second hand bargain priced games is wicked.

  • ChocNut #43 7 years ago

    From the article: "a music button (a use for which we've yet to identify due to our lack of a Memory Stick Duo)". The music button has two uses I've identified so far. One if you hold it it will mute the audio and two (only when wearing headphones and listening to mp3s it changes the sound of the music every time you press, using pop, unique, rock and other presets to alter the sound of the mp3.

  • pjmaybe #44 7 years ago

    Well having now had a chance to have a go on one (thanks deem!) and not only that, to directly compare it to the DS (thanks Shiv!) - well, hell - I want one! Even playing Ridge Racer (which I thought I'd hate) it really didn't feel like a measly hand held machine at all, in fact the graphics, framerates and more importantly the display quality were superb...

    Compared to the DS - Well it's just a case of you can see where your money's gone with the PSP, the DS still looks like something your uncle frank knocked up in his shed.

    I'm still waiting till the proper Euro release, and hopefully by then there'll be a good few more games out to have a look at but from a quick go and a good look over people's shoulders at the Geekmeet I know where my money's goin'

    Peej

  • IronGiant #45 7 years ago

    "IronGiant, the games pop out when you're playing them. That isn't good. Just look at the video absolutezero posted. It has three hours of battery when you're playing Ridge Racers, and that's without Wi-Fi or wireless play turned on. I already have an MP3 player, a PS2 and a DVD player. Why would I need a PSP?
    Also, at my local indie they're £500. Sorry, but Sony can fuck off."

    Dont buy one then!!! considering you're not interested in one at all why are you jumping in here posting negative crap all the time? Get a DS then, no one really gives a shit.

  • Whizzo #46 7 years ago

    Like Peej, playing deem's PSP was a real treat. When this is launched outside of Japan they're going to be flying off the shelves. It's a truly fantastic piece of kit. I'm not about to be spending the import prices though!

    The DS, well, er, um, no thanks, it just doesn't compare.

  • terminalterror #47 7 years ago

    "The DS, well, er, um, no thanks, it just doesn't compare."

    I agree that the unit looks and feels like shit compared to a PSP (its bigger and heavier for little apparant reason), but I had a huge grin on my face whilst playing some of the Mario DS minigames that I doubt I'll get with a PSP once the awe of playing PS2 games on a very sleek unit wears off.

    I'm probably going to have to get both. Yay for student loans!

  • bdaggers #48 7 years ago

    yup, what Whizzo said above

  • chimpi71 #49 7 years ago

    The buttons on the PS2 pad are pressure sensitive : is it also the case with the PSP buttons ? (I cannot see how GT4, for exemple, could still be called a driving "simulator" without some form of analogue sensitivity for acceleration and braking)

  • Derblington #50 7 years ago

    I don't see how GT can be called a "driving simulator" fullstop. Playing it is nothing like actually driving a car.

  • drumbaby #51 7 years ago

    Same as every game sim vs its real life equivalent, if you're going to be picky.

  • Destria #52 7 years ago

    I was going to type some deeply-thought dissertation on why the DS/PSP will succeed/fail/endure, but I can't really be bothered now

    I'll just wait to see what actually happens.

    Either way, I own a DS, and currently don't regret it in the slightest

  • Whizzo #53 7 years ago

    Whizzo. Im willing to bet you havent had a proper go on a DS.

    You havent have you?

    I played Metroid for a while, messed about with Pictochat and played some of the minigames in Mario. All were very underwhelming after roaring around in Ridge Racers.

    I've played on both systems, I know which I prefer and considering everyone who laid their hands upon the PSP at the meet wants a PSP, the same can't be said of the DS.

    If you're happy with a DS good for you, I didn't think much of it. My opinion won't change the die hard individuals who keep talking about battery life, ejecting discs (which didn't happen once while it was being passed around and played by many people), dodgy analogue "stick" (no problems with it at all it just works fine) and how Sony don't know what they're doing.

    The PSP is a fantastic piece of kit, it's the most impressive bit of consumer electronics I've played on since the first time I played on a PC with a 3dfx card in it.

    So those who seem to think it's crap : have you played on a PSP at all?

  • IronGiant #54 7 years ago

    "IronGiant: This is a comments page. That is what I'm using it for. To voice what I feel. If you don't think that that's what this page is for, that's fine."

    That's a fair enough comment and when you've played on one and formed your own opinions i'll be glad to hear about it, going on about what you've heard/read elsewhere is a waste of space as we're all fully aware of those stories. There are a few teething problems on a few units, as with the DS and just about every other piece of new hardware evah released.

  • TripSkyway #55 7 years ago

    I dont see the stylus as a novelty feature, more an aditional control option. As disc said many games and systems have used a mouse as a control method and the stylus provides a similar, fast interface on the DS. Games like zoo keeper are much quicker to control with a stylus.

    The dual screens however dont seem to provide such a clear advance over the GBA. All developers need to do is draw a big grey line down the centre of the psp screen and you have the same effect. I still cant see the advantage of the 2 split screens.
    Edited by 1 at 20/12/04 @ 01:55

  • crofty13 #56 7 years ago

    "Sony could have gold plated it, given it it's own fusion reactor, made it indestructible and got a super model to wank off the buyer at the point of purchase and some of you miserable gits would still moan."

    That is fucking funny! it looks like a good piece of kit, I just want to see some decent games adn not the crap they have announced so far. They all look like bargain bin ps2 games to me.

  • Blerk #57 7 years ago

    I think I'll save this thread for morning tea-break.

    /files

  • IronGiant #58 7 years ago

    Sony and Nintendo are both in the business of making money. Sony have had the best selling home console on the planet for the past 2 generations of hardware, they'd be absolute morons and commit commercial suicide if they didn't try to capitalize on that success with the PSP. If the PSP launches with FIFA, Need4Speed, Medal of Honour, WipEout, F1, Ridge Racers, Metal Gear etc. then it will absolutely fly off the shelves.

  • old_skool #59 7 years ago

    Sony can have my money as long as PES comes out on the PSP :))

  • #60 7 years ago

    Bobby wrote Why play wipeout on your battery sucking psp when you can enjoy it on a large screen TV?

    Because Wipeout Pure will not BE on a Ps2... My understanding (and please God, let me be wrong!)is that WOP will be PSP ONLY!!!!

    /Shakes fist at God etc

  • tengu #61 7 years ago

    I've got five words to sum up why you need to buy a PSP:

    Tenchu and Metal Gear Acid!

    Well, that or:

    To prove you're not gay!

  • Destria #62 7 years ago

    Where's all the DS love gone? :(

  • tengu #63 7 years ago

    Love is fleeting it seems...

  • IronGiant #64 7 years ago

    In the DS threads! :)

  • plasdas #65 7 years ago

    2 screens isn't going to revolutionise the whole games industry, just becasue it's on a DS. It's a nice concept, but one that has yet to be used to it's potential, same with the touch screen.

    Now, for the next gen of consoles, if there was a touch screen incorporated into joypads, now that would set things off. Cos there is no way as many DS as home consoles will be sold.

    As for the PSP, they may bring out more powerful batteries to power the thing, but I'm guessing that'll piss of those who bought the thing initially.

    And as for the mini games in Mario64..sorry, MarioDS goes, it's a port of the N64 game with a few extra mini games. Same goes for Ridge Racers, with the nitro. Sure I'd love to have both, but I'm not about to pay to play the same games again.

    Until both handhelds get some decent, original games to take advantage of their respective strengths, there is precious little difference in them. Otherwise, a bit like my post, it's all IFs.

    But it is impressive how quickly the "mine's better than your's" talk has begun, especially when so few people own either! And even when those who do own both, profess to enjoying playing both of them.

  • Destria #66 7 years ago

    Wario-Ware DS!

    Great!

  • BradlayLaw #67 7 years ago

    Just snagged one on ebay yestarday after Yes Asia messed my order up. Lets hope that a) the guy actually sends it and b) it arrives before christmas (Go EMS, Go, Go, Go)

  • Scimarad #68 7 years ago

    "i remember when the ps2 came out, all there games look like garbage"

    Yeah, but you usually say the PS2 STILL looks like garbage!

  • IronGiant #69 7 years ago

    "Just watched a video of a Ridge Racers multiplayer race. Fantastic! Looks better than a PS2 game!"

    D'uh.. didn't you read that comment NFanboy? don't really matter as no-one takes you seriously anyway.

  • Destria #70 7 years ago

    On behalf of all Nintendo fans everywhere, can I disassociate us, as a body, from NFanboy? I'm sure I'm speaking for most of us in saying that he does NOT represent the typical Nintendo fan.

  • brazzauk #71 7 years ago

    Have both a PSP and a DS and like them both. I have used both a fair bit now. The screen on the PSP is great!! It looks amazing and the graphics are great. Battery life on the PSP isn't as bad as everyone is making out, I haven't yet played any of the wi-fi games as I don't know anyone else with one yet. Also I have had no issues with the UMD drive. The two units are very different in my opinion. I find the PSP is more comfortable to play, after half an hour of Mario DS using the touch screen my hand is killing me, the PSP feels more suited to my hands and I like the analogue control.

    The dual screen may well be great but at the moment I am going to reserve judgement. The games I have played using it to this point are okay, but I would rather play Mario with a proper analouge pad, but the mini games with the stylus work well. I love Nintendo for always trying something different and the way they prefer innovation over graphical power.

    I think the best way to describe the two is:

    Sony PSP = Adult Gadget
    Nintendo DS = Great Family Toy

    Edited by 2 at 20/12/04 @ 22:20

  • IronGiant #72 7 years ago

    /in an Andy from Little Britain voice..

    yeah i know
    I was referring to NFannyboy's comment about developers not being able to do quality graphics on the PSP because of the battery.. i agree with you Ridge Racers look fookin fab on PSP and plays for a good few hours too!! :)

  • nihilism #73 7 years ago

    Oh the nintendo fanboys make me laugh. I was once one of you, right up until last week actually.

    It's then I flew out to New York, only to find out that the entire of NYC, and indeed America has been undersold the DS by a large amount. In Manhattan it has offically sold out EVERYWHERE!!!!

    The fact that we in the game purchasing market appear to have to put up with these monumental sales cock ups (NYC is also mostly out of PS2 and Xbox!!) is a joke, so indeed, I am certainly not the Nintendo fan boy I once was.

    Nintendo predicted sales of something like 1m units in the us, but interest is showing a predicted 3-4m units, so they have dramatically fucked up christmas for a huge amount of customers. This combined with my having to import us games more often than not, combined with there suing uk stores to stop them selling us nintendo games, as well as a ds launch of march, it basically feels like Mr Nintendo is shafting me up my young nubile asshole.

    Sony may have a lot of bad things to say about it, and haven't always been brilliant with UK stock, but I guarantee that their UK PSP launch cannot be worse than the US DS launch I've witnessed, and quite frankly, I feel a need to make a stand against nintendos shiteness, no matter how much I like mario and shit.

  • Destria #74 7 years ago

    And besides, Sony are faring even worse with these shortages. PS2s are in short supply over here (apparently. I've not actually tried), and there was a woeful lack of PSPs for the Japanese launch.

    As my fellow poster said... these companies only have so much manufacturing capacity

  • Pirotic #75 7 years ago

    i suspect the battery life issue will be a thing of the past once they've released a couple of newer models, much llike how the PS2 used to overheat as it had 5 different chips in it - eventually they got the whole thing down to one chip, saving power and giving off far less heat.

  • #76 7 years ago

    PSP is going to kick DS's arse big style! FACT. I'm not even beginning to say that DS isn't going to be a great sucess because it is and with retail at its current stage of evolution DS will undoubtedly eclipse the phenomenal sales of advance (in both guises put together).

    HOWEVER.

    I'm tellin ya now and you heard it here first. People are throwing money at me big style to pre-order PSP (and that's before we start our pre-order campaign on Jan 2nd)

    FACT 1 It'll outsell PS2 day1 if the hardware units are available.

    FACT 2 Pre-orders will out weigh GTA-SA

    FACT 3 People LOVE SONY they think they are cuddly in a similar fashion they thought SEGA was 10/15 years ago.

    Now Mr Kutaragi (and I'm gonna get stick for this 'cos I always do.) As the owner of the UK's Number 1 game store can I please have the official launch of PSP midmight day one 'cos we're gonna sell 800 of them as fast as we can get consumers through the doors.

    I'd be mighty grateful. Shall I call Gamer.tv now to arrange the coverage.

    Steve@arcg2.fsnet.co.uk

  • tengu #77 7 years ago

    The David Brent of video games retail has spoken :)

  • #78 7 years ago

    I know a funny story about that.

  • ReGuRgIt8oR #79 7 years ago

    King of the Indies, I love both my DS & PSP and believe that both will succeed and that both deserve too. To me they offer different gaming experiences but I want both of those experiences.

    I think DS's GBA compatability will ensure it's future.

    PSP ?, simply do the coke/pespi test. People see my DS and PSP. The first one they go for is PSP. If Sony get the price right it'll be a success even if some don't think it deserves it.

    Good luck to them both.

    Oh and I'm no fanboy of either Company.

    Plus I'm available to hire if you want me to do some in store promo work ;)

  • #80 7 years ago

    I agree that both will be great sucesses as both appeal very much to different demographs. BUT. What I have noticed post Christmas is; even though I'm waxing lyrical about DS's playability, even though we have an instore DS, even though we haven't got a shred of literature in store for the PSP we are having customers quite literally queue up to place pre-orders.

    Now that has never happened, even with PS2s and GTA-SA.

    I smell a sales phenomenon on the horizon and am only too excited to be in the very middle of it.

    P.S. As an over 30 overweight gamer who gave up gaming 16 years ago to sell the bloody things I will say that in the VIP lounge at E3 an hour went by as I played Metroid DS without me even realising it. Great user interface.

    P.P.S Almost as much fun as watching the Nintendo guys face drain of blood as I played SONIC and scratched the hell out of the demo DS. (I didn't mean to honest!)

  • Master Cheif #81 7 years ago

    Amazon have released a pre-order sheet for the PSP at £179.99 what do u guys make of this???

    P.S. I know Amazon are not reliable as hearing it from Sony but thats the first UK price i have seen

  • #82 7 years ago

    £179 eh. I suppose anything is a possibilty. I would have thought £149 was more likely. I guess that they're edging their bets. If it comes out at that price they've got the pre-order, if it doesn't then they have the option to either bundle a game or acessories. Cynical as I am surely they wouldn't hold them to it and go for margin.

    To be fair the product is going to be in such short supply they could ask what ever they want and some people will still pay it.