Smaller Playstation 2 Theorized 102
Tim Grube writes "According to Gaming Horizon and several other industry insiders,
Sony will be
celebrating their fourth-year anniversary of the Playstation 2 on October 26th
by releasing a smaller, more compact version of the game system with the new
name PStwo.
Some analysts believe the PStwo will retail at $149.99, the
current price of the Playstation 2."
So what features is it going to lose? (Score:4, Interesting)
Any bets on what we're going to lose this time?
DVD play? (Score:4, Interesting)
I'm also curious what Sony will do about the names if they ever decide to revamp the PSX or PS2 a second time. PSOne-2 and PSTwo-2? They could just leave the names alone i guess, but they only seem willing to reuse names on entirely different products.
Will it actually WORK? (Score:4, Interesting)
There are still a lot of PS2 games that I have missed out on though, being a huge RPG fan, and Star Ocean has had me considering trying a 4th PS2. I haven't though because other people I know have not had any better luck with their PS2s, and I don't want to get burned again. If these things are going to be redesigned and manufactured differently, then I might consider getting one.
BTW - anyone know what the backwards compatibility features of the PS3 are supposed to be? If it'll play PS1 and PS2 games then I might just wait to get a PS3, but if it'll only play PS2 games then I'll shell out for a PS2 so I can play my PS1 games on it, since I have a huge collection of great PS1 games, and ePSX on Linux might as well be an XBox emulator, it has microsoft-esque stability
Re:Forget that... (Score:5, Interesting)
Instant access to the entire GC library coupled with a fairly low price ($200?) would make it the obvious choice.
That said, I'm still getting a DS over the PSP. However, the more I think about it, with Nintendos lackluster console sales and their continued dominance in the handheld arena, it might be smart to let MS and Sony duke it out with the PS3 and XBox2, while releasing a P(ocket)GC rather than a GC2.
Abnormal experiences (Score:3, Interesting)
GTA San Andreas (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:So what features is it going to lose? (Score:5, Interesting)
Any bets on what we're going to lose this time?
Well, we may not necessarily lose anything. The PS2's business is starting to depend on the presence of a modem in the machine, so there's a good chance that Sony could release the PSTwo at the same price as the PS2, but with a modem built-in. If a NIC costs less than $10 at your local Best Buy, CompUSA, or Mom & Pop Computer Shop, just imagine how little it must cost Sony.
And besides, there's not a whole lot to lose in the PS2. The hard drive slot is mandatory for certain games, so they can't lose that. The modem slot is also mandatory for some, so they can't lose that. Removing the USB port would stab Logitech, Mad Catz, Namco, Sega, and a whole lot of other peripheral manufacturers in the back. The only thing it might lose is the DVD player, because the unit can be produced cheaper without the DVD licensing cost.
Re:Forget that... (Score:5, Interesting)
Instant access to the entire GC library coupled with a fairly low price ($200?) would make it the obvious choice.
Most Sony consoles, or at least the two that have existed so far, begin their life cycles as serious loss leaders. Sony loses tons of money for the first two years, at which point their slow refinements to the manufacturing process finally begin to draw a small profit. By the system's fifth year or so, they're actually out of the hole and profiting from the hardware itself.
Nintendo, on the other hand, based on what little they've told us in the past, likes to make at least some money on their consoles, and they're probably making a small profit on every GameCube they sell right now. If they were to make it a handheld competitor to the PSP, they'd have to start losing money on it and bet that they can make it up in software sales. The problem with that is that even though they could conceivably make up the difference in software sales, they're a much smaller company than Sony or Microsoft. If they produced a loss-leading console or handheld and Sony happened to royally kick the crap out of it, the one-two punch would probably knock Nintendo right out of the hardware business.
It's a question of When, not If (Score:3, Interesting)
But I don't think PStwo will be replaced this year however, as these little consoles are usually nearer to the launch of a next generation console, I think next Christmas will be when the console turns up.
[1] The Mega Drive 2 / Genesis 2 is an interesting one really, seeing as it came relatively early in the consoles life.
Re:ot: solve n^n=x for n (Score:3, Interesting)
rearrange:
n*ln(n)=ln(x)
n=ln(x)/ln(n)
iterative form
--> n(n+1) = ln(x) / ln(n)
then put a first guess in (say, 7) and keep iterating until the answer converges. Takes 25 iterations in this case to five dp.
Another clue! (Score:4, Interesting)
Sony has more or less recently stopped sending retailers Playstation 2 systems. This has been going on for at least two months and word is, we're not going to be getting any more in the next month, either. So of course you have to wonder, if they do intend on releasing this PStwo, what would be the point of supplying the market with more older models? Exactly!
Can't wait to see what this thing looks like (and if it has a broadband adapter built it...and where the HDD will go and if it actually plays media!)
Linux Kit (Score:3, Interesting)
And for 150$ it wouldn't even be expensive. I just hope it will be less noisy than the original PS2...
Re:Abnormal experiences (Score:3, Interesting)
That said the CD/DVD drives in the PS1s and PS2s do seem to be their Achilles heal. I saw an article the other day saying most PS1/PS2 drives last about 7-8 years before they fail, yet 20+ year old Nintendo cartridge systems keep operating perfectly. So in about 10 years a working PS2 will be a rare sight indeed. Could be an investment for Ebay...
Re:Forget that... (Score:1, Interesting)
I don't think you know what you are talking about. When Sony announced the price of the first Playstation, Sega accused them of dumping. Sony was never taken to court over this. That's where this whole idea got started.
Prove to me that Sony has sold all their consoles at a loss.
I guarantee you cannot cite adequate evidence to support this. You don't know what you're talking about and you're just repeating the same old crap that gets posted in the games section all the time. Not all consoles are sold at a loss - get over it.
Re:Another clue! (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Forget that... (Score:4, Interesting)
You could probably hack something together with existing parts, but you'd spend alot more than $200 to build it. (The screen on those XBox controllers sucks by the way). Search on google for the guy who made a PSOne portable unit and see how much he spent to do that.
On another note, a Nintendo made GC portable would be a huge hit for obvious reasons (great graphics, huge preexisting game library, etc), but if they made it also compatible with mini cd-r/w's (maybe not dvd-r/w's, for sake of copy protection/piracy concerns) so you could use it for an mp3 player and possibly other media playback, it would be a pretty slick system.
Fascinating... (Score:4, Interesting)
*AHEM* Microsoft, the only reason I haven't bought your system is because it's massive. Cumbersomely large. I don't have a lot of room to spare for these things, and I live in a fairly rural area with comfortable living space. Imagine what it must be like for people who live in an overcrowded society where the average apartment size may be smaller than your kitchen, and space is at a premium.
Good thing you're not trying to capture any portion of that market.