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."
Kills it (Score:5, Insightful)
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.
Translation: they killed the PSP.
This is Sony we're talking about (Score:5, Insightful)
Do we expect anything other than a locked-down proprietary anti-consumer mess out of Sony? After all, these are the people who gave us MiniDisc and the infamous anti-piracy rootkit.
Not exactly... (Score:5, Insightful)
"When your older, cheaper hardware is better and more able than your new offering, you need to fire some designers."
No, you need to fire the managers who gave the specifications to the designers.
Re:Not exactly... (Score:5, Insightful)
No, you need to fire the managers who gave the specifications to the designers.
Actually, you need to rethink the whole decision structure.
Re:Hm.. (Score:3, Insightful)
Rape and pillage time... (Score:2, Insightful)
In the times we live in, everyone is attempting to nickle and dime you on everything. Airlines now charge for luggage (all but 1 in the USA), hotels charge for a phone line, whether you want it or use it or not, weird "fees" appear on various utility bills. The gaming industry has been attempting to stop used game sales by lobbying for legislation, but since that wasn't moving fast enough to yield short term profits, enter iPho.. I mean PSP Go. Why are we so surprised? Guess where the next generation of consoles are heading...
Re:Not exactly... (Score:5, Insightful)
Nothing would please me more than to walk out every time a manager made a dumb decision which I spoke out against.
Except I like to eat. My daughter likes to eat too, and is particular to having a roof over her head ( children today. When I was her age, I had to sleep in the snow, BOTH WAYS. And I liked it, by god ).
Having been a part of a team that designed a truly horrid product, I know how it can be. We told the manager over and over again that the specs were conflicting. Sometimes they required us to break the laws of physics. Yet it was your standard PHB type; make the customer happy. So we did what we could given the constraints, and we birthed upon the world an abomination. Individually, we were all competent techs. Together, we worked great as a team. Yet it took a single manager to take all of our combine talent and flush it straight down the toilet.
This is getting borring (Score:1, Insightful)
When Nintendo releases DSi without previous gen games compatibility (unlike DS) it's the best hardware ever made.
Proprietary cable for on iPod? It's Apple, stupid!
Downloadable games - all kosher for Apple, Microsoft and Nintendo.
Sony, on the other hand cannot do anything right - UMD is lame, no UMD is atrocious. What do you want,a 8" floppy? A DVD? Does your Zune come with one? Your DS? Your iPhone?
If you want to play games from UMDs why do you buy PSP go? You don't buy an iPhone to play your Appple ][ floppies. You don't buy Zune to play MSX carts.
I'd rather buy downloadable games for PSP since I can install them on multiple PSPs and PS3s than buy multiple UMDs to play multiplayer but I must be a crazy one.
I already know what happened... (Score:4, Insightful)
Consumers, Including Many of You will Buy (Score:5, Insightful)
you need to access the PlayStation Store to buy games. This kills price competition and used game sales in one fell swoop,
Ahhh sweet, sweet capitalism. Manufacturers go to great lengths to eliminate competition. This is a big win for Sony, consumers won't care.
while also making owners of any original PSP games unable to play them on the new hardware.
That's the point. Buy expensive Sony hardware today! Yesterday's purchase means nothing to them.
They also decry the switch to proprietary cables ./ers will get one and tons more kids will have them.
ditto. Sony's not going to get rich on this, but they are taking advantage of consumers pleasure of owning expensive jails. Many
This will go over good-enough. Sony will certainly come out richer for it. We, as consumers, are poorer for it.
Re:This is Sony we're talking about (Score:3, Insightful)
Disappoints? No, it doesnt. (Score:3, Insightful)
First the press claimed that the UMD format sucks and that the PSP is too bulky to be carried around. At that time they were probably right. Now the same people are claiming that getting rid of the UMD format sucks and that the PSPgo is too small.
When Apple came up with the App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch the press was excited and rejoicing over the new age of digital distribution. Now it's Sony's turn and suddenly it's a bad thing.
Well, boo-hoo. It's always nice to be able to complain about something even if that would mean contradicting yourself. This is madness.
I have the original PSP-1000 but that didn't stop me getting a PSPgo. I can play those UMD games on the old system if I want but since it's so big I rarely carry it around. The Go!Explore GPS package, however, is very useful in the car.
The PSPgo is finally small enough to be carried around and I'm happy to buy new content over the air. I don't need the old UMDs or chargers on it. I can use them with the old system since that's what they're for. The system is very sleek and I really enjoy it.
I also have the iPod Touch. No matter how much Apple wants you to think it's a gaming device it really isn't - at least for all types of games. I've really missed the control buttons. Thanks Sony for bringing us a real gaming system that can actually be taken with you.
The small format hurts because you can't hold it (Score:5, Insightful)
The PSP Go isn't grasped so much as it lies on the top of your hands. The reason is the sliding top and the shoulder buttons that are on the bottom part. So your fingers can't naturaly "grasp" the top because there the sliding top gets in the way. If you got big fingers, then the PSP Go is lying on top of your hand and that is really akward.
People are not saying UMD is suddenly a wonderfull format, but it is the format that PSP owners got their existing games in, with no way to transfer them. How difficult would it have been to allow transfer from old PSP's to PSP Go's?
The PSP Go is NOT a new platform, there is no generation difference. As said in the Ars review, this would be like making the PS3 Slim 250gb not have a bluray drive.
The problem AIN'T with the digital store itself, it is about the sudden removal of the all the existing games FOR THE EXACT SAME PLATFORM.
Apples iPhone/iThouch NEVER had physical media. And did Apple with the iTouch make it impossible to use songs previously bought with iTunes? No. For Apple to have pulled the same, they would have to create an iPhone store and make it impossible to use iTunes bought songs on it. Hell, for that matter to make it impossible to use mp3's. Has Apple done any of this? No.
But you are right, Apple gets away with far more then Sony does. iTunes and the App store have indeed also meant the end of the bargain bin and 2nd hand songs/software. Non-apple fan boys do indeed mention this from time to time, but get modden down by people who think Jobs is the second coming.
To get back to your main point. Sony had mentioned that there would be some kind of system to get the games you already paid for, to play on the PSP Go. To not allow this (and to have lied about it) means that you got to question who they are aiming at?
1. People who previously didn't buy a PSP? The Go is more expensive, the PS3 gots its sales boost from a price reduction. Does Sony think they can do the same with a price increase?
2. Old PSP owners. They want to play the games they already own and not pay for them again.
3. People with to much money. AKA You. An intresting segment of the market, but in todays economy?
Sorry mate, but I think Sony made a mistake here. The more money then brains market is rather shallow. Most people, especially now, want MORE value for LESS money.
Re:Kills it (Score:3, Insightful)
Translation: they killed the PSP.
No, they're just trying to kill it.
In my opinion they're looking to:
1) take a larger share of the profit from game sales (what woud have been the physical manufacturing and distribution costs is now profit for Sony). I'm guessing that games will not be any cheaper and game developers/studios will not see any more money than they get currently.
2) stamp out the market for second hand games. Online distribution will lock the game to the device, so no used games, and no lending a game to a friend. This is something that games publishers have been complainging about for a while now (ie. not seeing a cut of second hand sales), but now they will have to pay the Sony tax for this to happen (see above).
3) attempt to take on the iPhone and iPod Touch. The problem is that for the iPhone and iPod Touch, games are a secondary use. They are first and foremost media platforms (and a phone in the case of the iPhone as well) The iPhone and iPod Touch have thousands of apps aside from games. The PSP Go doesn't have that going for it either.
I think that the PSP Go will be a spectacular flop for Sony (at least outide of Japan/Korea). They have already infuriated gamers by going back on their promise to allow PSP Go copies of games already purchased on UMD. The fact that Sony has gone proprietary with everything (and different connectors from PSP) is just another reason that gamers are going to walk away from this device.
Sure some people will buy this, but given reviews already out, there is not going to be a buying frenzy for the PSP Go. Sony could kill the PSP 3000, but in doing so they will kill the whole PSP line in the process. The fact that they haven't shows thay are not confident in the PSP Go.
Re:This is getting borring (Score:5, Insightful)
When Nintendo releases DSi without previous gen games compatibility (unlike DS) it's the best hardware ever made.
The PSP Go lacks *current* gen games compatibility. There is a difference. But I suspect you knew that.
Downloadable games - all kosher for Apple, Microsoft and Nintendo.
Downloadable games are fine. Being the only option and requiring customers to buy new copies of current generation games they've already purchased is the issue. But I suspect you knew that as well.
Re:This is Sony we're talking about (Score:4, Insightful)
Christ the slashdot crowd can hold a fucking grudge.
That was 4 years ago. FOUR. Sony quickly stepped away from this. They apologized and offered up replacement discs for people who got shafted in this mess. They did nearly everything to make the situation right.
Compare this to Microsoft. Owning a major segment of the OS market means never having to say you're sorry.
Why no second joystick? (Score:3, Insightful)
As long as Sony was going to a new design, why oh why did they not add a second thumbstick? Shooters and other console games tend to use two joysticks. in the case of shooters, one stick is used to control movement, while the other is used to control the camera angle. In PSP games, because there's only one joystick, each shooter series uses its own scheme to get around the lack of a second joystick. For what it's worth, I think the best control scheme in a PSP shooter is the one used in the Syphon Filter series. But what sucks is that when you switch games, the whole control scheme changes. It's frustrating when you push just the right buttons to do what you want... in the wrong game.
They put a little depression on the face of the PSP Go in exactly the right place for the second thumbstick, but they put the START and SELECT buttons there. If they had put in another thumbstick and moved those buttons elsewhere, they might have revitalized the whole PSP playform. Ports of console games would have immediately become much easier, allowing the number of games for the platform to grow more quickly. New games could be written with more standard (read: better) control schemes. Backward compatibility would be trivial. The second joystick could simply be ignored by old games. Playing the old games would then be unchanged, while many new possibilities would be created.
I have a PSP 1000, and even that is too small for me. When I try to play with just the PSP 1000 in my hand, it feels too small and fragile. I have an acrylic case that holds the PSP and protects it, and most important for me, gives me a big sturdy thing I don't feel like I'm going to break every time I play (yes, the DS was immediately rejected in part because of how flimsy it looked). I like the video out introduced in the PSP 2000, and I figure that with a good case, the 2000 might be decent.
So to summarize, as Sony has made new versions of the PSP, they have focused on making it smaller and flimsier, a feature I do not want. They have removed the UMD drive, which does away with used game sales and price competition. But they have failed to correct the most glaring defect of the PSP platform since its inception: the lack of a second thumbstick. Well, I'm not a hardcore gamer, so Sony doesn't give a rat's ass about me or my opinion, but I'm keeping an eye on the Pandora [openpandora.org]. It's a platform that appears to have been, y'know, designed for gaming. It won't have firmware updates to block homebrew games, and no, that doesn't mean I'll only use free or pirated games. I'm perfectly happy buying PSP games, and I'll almost certainly buy some good games for the Pandora too.
Re:Why no second joystick? (Score:3, Insightful)
The problem is that the PSPgo is not new hardware, its just the same old PSP without UMD and internal flash. So adding another analog stick would have been rather weird for developers as they would now have to design two very different control schemes for the same game. That said, given how big an issue the lack of a second stick is they should just have done it anyway, that would have at least given people a reason to buy a PSPgo.
Re:This is Sony we're talking about (Score:5, Insightful)
Christ the slashdot crowd can hold a fucking grudge. That was 4 years ago. FOUR.
If you or I had pulled that crap, and been caught, we'd probably be getting out of prison right about now.
Re:This is Sony we're talking about (Score:5, Insightful)
"They did nearly everything to make the situation right."
That sounds great -- as if it was some kind of horrible accident that was beyond Sony's control, and, once they realized the nature of the problem, they fixed it for consumers.
In reality, they knew exactly what they were doing, spend a wack of money buying and deploying the DRM system (SOMEBODY approved the cheques), and, in fact, the system was working exactly the way they wanted it. Their only mistake was that they underestimated the public reaction to it. Their second mistake was initially denying the scope of the problem (and even providing defective removal programs) before finally making it right when legal proceedings began.
No, 4 years isn't long enough, because it wasn't a simple error or unintended mistake. It was driven by a deeply-held corporate policy to restrict devices' abilities even when it negatively affects their customers. And this new product demonstrates that policy is alive and well at Sony, contrary to their earlier history (e.g., VCRs and the precedent that established their legality). They haven't learned a blessed thing except to be more cautious about the implementation.
Sony is really good at this (Score:4, Insightful)
Sony is far too interested in their media protection than in the products they sell to access the media.
I don't disagree with the removal of the UMD from the machine. I think it made the PSP heavier than it needed to be. However, the UMD should still be available as an external or clip-on device so that games that users already own can be effectively transferred to memory stick or internal storage.
I think Sony over estimates the harm done by copyright infringement. Infringers are still an elite few. It's not likely to be a number higher than 10% by my guess. And yet they assault their entire customer base with changes and revisions and updates trying to stop PSP modding and game copying and all that. I have had problems with nearly all Sony consumer devices I have owned except those that are exclusively A/V. (TV, Camcorder and a DVD player) Their computers suck, their Clie' palm devices die with non-replaceable batteries making them useless after a while. I just don't buy Sony gear.
I have broken with my own rule regarding Sony not long ago, however. I was trying to sell my XBox360 what had a red ring of death condition, code 0102. It was already a refurb unit so I don't expect that MS would support it, so I listed it on craigslist. Someone responded with an offer to trade his PSP 1000. It works fine, has some scratches, the X button is mushy, many of the printed/painted details are worn. The UMD works fine and this is my first experience with PSP and it is a surprisingly powerful and cool device. I modded it, of course, and now play everyone off of an 8GB memory stick.
The PSP Go then became an interest for me as removing the UMD doesn't bother me as long as there are modders out there figuring out how to get my games on it. I think that by removing the UMD completely, Sony just encouraged even more hacking of the PSP and have discouraged the other 90% of their good base of users with what ultimately amounts to their prioritizing content control over the quality of the user experience. Sure, the content is all the more tightly controlled now... the problem is, fewer people care about the content because it will be harder to access.
Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Sony phailed (Score:2, Insightful)
not buying any hd media is a choice...
Re:This is getting borring (Score:2, Insightful)
Who is forcing you to re-buy all your games, do you want to play UMD games?, buy a new PSP-3000 if you do not have one, both models are being sold. Do you scream because when you buy a netbook it does not have a DVD drive to see you movies?, no because the target user for that device is not the same to laptop owners, it is about extra mobility. I own a PSP-3000 and have no interest on the PSP Go (with the exception of the bluetooth support), new games are sold in physical and dogotal distribution, your choice
Re:This is Sony we're talking about (Score:3, Insightful)
"Christ the slashdot crowd can hold a fucking grudge."
Had this been an individual, and not a corporation that made the rootkit, they would be sitting on bankruptcy and likely federal criminal charges.
Which means they'd only be about 1/4 of the way through their sentence, after four years. In the meantime, this company gets to continue business as usual and fuck people over. Damn right I'm going to hold a grudge against this sort of inequality.
"They apologized and offered up replacement discs for people who got shafted in this mess."
That's not acceptable to me, who had to go through FIVE optical drives because of their rootkit. As far as I'm concerned Sony still owes me five optical drives and since the ones they broke were brand-new top of the line, I fully expect the exact same thing in return.
"Compare this to Microsoft. Owning a major segment of the OS market means never having to say you're sorry."
Nope, instead they have to face constant anti-trust suits and regulations. Does nobody remember United States vs Microsoft?