PSP Go Debuts, Disappoints 258
Sony has now officially launched the new version of their portable game console, the PSP Go, and the Opposable Thumbs blog took it for a spin to see how they liked it. Their impressions of the new hardware are almost entirely negative, despite being fans of the original PSP. One major point of contention was Sony's removal of the UMD drive in this revision, making it so you need to access the PlayStation Store to buy games. This kills price competition and used game sales in one fell swoop, while also making owners of any original PSP games unable to play them on the new hardware. The review says the new device looks sleek, but the dimensions make it somewhat cramped and awkward to use unless you have small hands. They also decry the switch to proprietary cables, and sum up their opinion by saying, "When your older, cheaper hardware is better and more able than your new offering, you need to fire some designers."
Re:This is Sony we're talking about (Score:1, Informative)
Uhhh... good job bringing up apple out of nowhere as though op said anything about apple being fantastic...
Re:This is Sony we're talking about (Score:5, Informative)
Quite frankly, yes.
Every PSP since the PSP1000 has used standard USB sockets.
Sony's PlayStation3 has been the most pro-consumer console in the mass market. Standard USB controllers, headsets, keyboards, bluetooth headsets, etc. Not to mention i can hook up my PS3 to a monitor using HDMI to DVI with out the AV cable BLOCKING THE HDMI PORT. Or TOSLINK out to a receiver with a standard TV.
See here. [chadledford.com]
This picture makes me cringe and wonder if something is going to break. [chadledford.com]
Re:This is getting borring (Score:4, Informative)
When Nintendo releases DSi without previous gen games compatibility (unlike DS) it's the best hardware ever made.
Arguably the DSi does have support for previous gen games... ds games, as the ds had support for it's previous gen.. gba games.
Re:This is getting borring (Score:3, Informative)
You (as well as the reviewer in the article, yes I read it, sue me) seem to be under the impression that the PSPgo is for the current PSP owners. It's not. It's targeted at new customers who don't already have UMDs.
Battery life (Score:3, Informative)
If you're running custom firmware on the x000 models, using an ISO of your game preserves a chunk of battery life. (not to mention loading times)
Despite the fundamental importance of operating time in a portable, Sony seems has no interest in improving it. They improve the efficiency of the console each revision and LOWER the battery capacity so the lifespan remains unchanged. The 2000 series weighs almost nothing so I don't understand what they're thinking by doing this.
Re:This is getting borring (Score:1, Informative)
Speaking of poorly informed - PSP Go works fine with last generation (Sony PSP) games. It does not read UMDs but PSP games had been available from PSN long before PSP Go has been anounced.
[i]The problem is not downloadable media. The problem is ONLY having downloadable media.[/i]
You mean like iPhone? You do keep hoping.
Re:Sony phailed (Score:2, Informative)