Sony: PSPgo always part of the plan News
PSP News by Robert Purchese
Sony Computer Entertainment chief product planner Naoya Matsui has revealed that a UMD-less PSP was always part of the handheld plan.
"We'd planned to release a PSP model without a UMD drive since the very beginning," Matsui told Develop, raising the question of why Sony developed the Universal Media Disc to begin with.
"But if we'd simply released the hardware, there wouldn't have been much for everyone to enjoy. We needed to prepare the right environment for it first - things like the transferral of content with the PS3 and PSN, and PC software to manage content like music and movies such as 'Media Go'.
"We wanted to release it when the delivery of digital content was on par with the delivery of physical media," he said. "That's what we've been working on these past two years. We'll be selling the PSPgo alongside the existing PSP models, because it's a product targeted at those people who are more accustomed to digital content."
Sony plans to both digital and physical versions of PSP games in the future. How much longer the niche UMD format can survive for depends on the uptake of Sony's new handheld.
The PSPgo launches simultaneously in Europe and North America on 1st October. The 50 per cent smaller handheld, with sliding screen and more on-board memory, will cost GBP 250, EUR 250 and USD 250. It's easy to remember, at least (and moan about).
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Comments: 1-34 of 34 in total
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CaptainScarlet
03/07/09 @ 07:43
0
Sony laugh out loud at Muppets that bought their stop gap tech to give them cash and time to do it properly. Nice way to rub folks noses in their purchase of sony product again :)
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+1
I need to hold one first to try it but I must admit my slim is looking pretty big latley. Bung the GTAs (and MGS, the RE's and many more PS1) on PSN Sony and you might (might) have a deal.
Is it REALLY £250 though, I'll wait a LONG while if it is! Maybe a hundred or just over. I think my slim was £130 so around there I'm happy. |
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+2
I was lucky enough to pre-order one for £180, and £250 is still unconfirmed but pretty much a certainty anyway. It really is a bit much for bluetooth and 16GB memory, but it's nice as an option. I'm all about options - as long as they keep the UMD equipped ones on the shelves for those who don't want to pay all that extra, it's okay with me.
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+1
If it's actually £250 of course ;)
Which it will be. We know how their minds work, they'll do it. Even if it was going to be £200 or something, as soon as the £250 price point started floating around they'd have decided they're just as well, since it's expected anyway. But it was probably always £250, even if it's unconfirmed. |
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+2
I'd have thought the delay to go to digital distribution was as much a cost of components issue. 16Gb flash memory a couple of years ago would've made it impossible to make for a resonable price (think PS3 but worse). And where does this £250 keep coming from? Has there been a press release I've missed?
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+1
I'm not entirely sure how the UMD was integral to building on the rest of the connectivity options. I guess I couldn't be sure how I would have reacted to a digital only device two years ago, as back then I was only just starting to pick up on digital games on XBLA. I just want to know how I'm going to turn my UMD selection into digital versions.
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SeesThroughAll
03/07/09 @ 09:07
+6
They might as well have just shut up.
Rethinking their strategy and playing catchup when things have clearly gone differently than they had previously expected does not make them look stupid. This kind of PR, on the other hand, does.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 03/07/09 @ 10:07
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StooMonster
03/07/09 @ 09:51
+2
And next from Department of the Ministry of Truth: "War is Peace", "Freedom is Slavery" and "Ignorance is Strength".
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Chazmeister
03/07/09 @ 10:32
+1
Great, once again the UK get to pay nearly a £100 more for their kit than the US do.
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chessboxer
03/07/09 @ 11:16
+1
Out of curiosity, who would rather spend their money on an iPhone/iPod Touch?
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citizenHUNTER
03/07/09 @ 11:23
+2
@chessboxer I know I would. Seriously £250? It's got some on board memory, not that expensive these days and is a bit redesigned so it DOESN'T have all the mechanical bits and bobs associated with the UMD drive anymore yet it's £100 more than the current PSP. Not to mention the sheer cheek of selling it for 250 no matter the currency, tis a piss take yet again of us over here. Shouldn't the government be stepping in and getting pissy with operations like this...?
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chessboxer
03/07/09 @ 12:00
-1
@ citizenHUNTER
I hope the government has more important things to do. Although I do think £250 is a bit steep (and we can get it cheaper from the US), Sony have not confirmed what this can do which the PSP3000 cannot. So far I've heard that it has a CPU which is over 40% faster, will have in-game XMB and will be DS3 compatible for all titles. I wouldn't say no to getting one (from the US) seeing as it can play music just as well as an iPod (talking about audio quality), I can easily convert video for it, I should be able to use my Sony DR-BT50's and games which have been announced for it will have much more appeal for me than anything I have heard about for the Apple devices (e.g. Metal Gear Solid: Peacewalker). |
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+3
What a load of bollocks. They came up with a UMD-less device when the UMD sales were falling through the floor and even their own movie studios dropped the format.
This bullshit is along the lines of "umm yeah we didnt include rumble in teh ps3 cos its last-gen technology - nothing 2 do with teh immersion lawsuit". |
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Bravestinsane
03/07/09 @ 14:45
0
I recently bought a Nintendo DSi to go along side my 360 i wanted something casual play to chill out on.
The PSPgo for £250 i wont even consider looking into it until its under £150 (what i paid for a new DSi) My launch Xbox 360 wasnt even this expensive, kind of takes the piss. I havn't had anything made by sony since the PS1 and i loved that console, hogs of war, vigilante 8 those were the days.But got this price not going to even consider it. Perhaps if it was like the DSi (in which the power of the handheld had doubled to DSi exclusive games would look better) Whereas to my understanding the power in the PSPgo its exactly the same so whats the point. |
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electrolite
04/07/09 @ 16:04
+2
All I could think reading this was "of course it was Sony, of course . We believe you"
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 04/07/09 @ 17:04
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@mkreku
But why invent a NEW media technology for a stop-gap product..? It doesn't make sense to me. Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing. Now, why didn't they just say something like "we knew we needed a physical product to sell in stores because otherwise we could only sell it to people who had a PC and internet access (as the PS3 was two years away when the PSP launched) and we didn't want to limit our market" then I'd say fair enough, makes perfect sense. I still wouldn't be willing to pay more for it than a PSP with a UMD drive though. From the screenshot on the develop-online.net article the console looks teeny, far too teeny for me. Unless that guy has massive hands. :)
Edited 2 times,
most recently on 05/07/09 @ 00:28
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Comments: 1-34 of 34 in total
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