PS3's Lair Playable Via Remote On PSP

Next Generation has confirmed with Sony a rumor working its way through fan boards: Lair is playable via remote on the PSP. That is, you can load up the game on your PlayStation 3, and then actually play it on the PSP's small-but-beautiful screen. This is functionality that Sony has been hinting at since the PS3 was announced, but up until now remote play has been restricted to music and movies stored on the console. Kotaku notes in their writeup that you need to play through the tutorial first on the console proper if you want to do this. The PSP doesn't have the buttons the game uses to brake.

Re:And the point is?

[androvsky]

Because it can be done from anywhere there's a wifi connection, not just at home? If someone really enjoys a game, it's a neat idea to be able to play it a little from work/school/coffee shops, or even friends houses. I'd suspect lag would make it largely unplayable for action games, but it's still a good way to show someone the game or get a quick fix.

Re:Maybe this will make it playable

[DrXym]

The biggest complaint so far in the reviews is the awful control scheme. Maybe playing it through the PSP's interface will fix that. Certainly worth watching, in any case.

My understanding is that no, it doesn't. The PSP is missing the second shoulder buttons that you need for fast turns and other buttons. Why it was left on is anybody's guess. Perhaps it was as a proof of concept for future games.

Remote play is a cool feature but it introduces a small but very noticeable latency. This is not surprising considering the PS3 has to stream data to the PSP where it is reconstituted. But it means remote play has a lag of 200-300ms. So it might be great for RPGs and other turn based or slow games, but not so good for racing games, shooters etc.

Remote play also has limited application since the PS3 must be fully powered to make it work. I don't know if Sony intend or can implement a low power state or something similar to wake on LAN. It's something that would make the feature a lot more useful.

Re:Maybe this will make it playable

[JordanL]

Super Stardust HD and Warhawk are far and above worth playing.

Other than that... Echochrome and GT5: Prologue look like all we've got for the rest of the year worth picking up, (maybe Heavenly Sword if you really like the genre), and Everyday Shooter whenever it is released.

There's also Home in the next few months if you find it interesting, but not everyone does. Working for a PS3 related website... I have to say that LittleBigPlanet almost seems like it's worth the purchase of a PS3 by itself, but I still want to play it before I give it too much praise.

Sat int he press section at GDC and saw Phil and company playing the game... it was like objectified fun. I'm way more excited about LBP than I am abotu Super Mario Galaxy, and Mario is one of my favorite memes in games.

If you're looking for an excuse to get a PS3 though, it really is quite excellent as a multimedia center. Stick a 300 or 120 GB notebook drive in there, download Red Kawa's video encoder for the PS3, and you can put dozens of your favorite TV episodes or movies on your TV, ready to watch at any time, or on your PSP if you have one when the TV is in use. Blu-Ray is actually starting to come into its own now as well, and HDTVs are starting to become more reasonable.

By GDC next year, I expect that people won't have to look for a reason to buy a PS3 anymore. That doesn't excuse the lack of reasons right now however. Right now, it's very touch and go. If you have the money, I can tell you that you won't be disappointed with your purchase. If you have to scrounge the extra cash to manage a PS3, you will probably be frustrated by its current state of games and such.

Re:Awesome!

[RamblinLonghorn]

Metacritic reviews of Lair [metacritic.com]

ouch...

Re:Amazing Game Just Got Better

[Pluvius]

I'm confused as to how you know how well Lair is doing at the cash register. I wouldn't mind if it did do well, since that would give the PS3 leverage, but the only thing I've seen is that it's #1 on the PS3 list at GameStop, which isn't saying much in and of itself. Especially since it doesn't show up on the overall best-sellers list at all.

Rob

Re:Awesome!

[ucblockhead]

And with the right analog stick, R2 and L2 buttons missing, you get double the masochism!