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PlayStation (Games) Media Television Entertainment Games

Sony To Ship Enhanced PSX Console/DVR Combo 125

Posted by simoniker from the as-many-features-as-advertised? dept.
bluethundr writes "The Register has posted a story indicating that Sony will ship the new PSX models on July 1 (Japan first, Europe to follow, then - eventually released to us Yanks?) following the company's move to suspend production of the original model of PlayStation 2/digital video recorder hybrid, earlier this year. Apparently: 'The new models, the DESR-5100 and DESR-7100, offer the same storage capacity - 160GB and 250GB, respectively - as their predecessors, the DESR-5000 and DESR- 7000. What's changed is the introduction of a better graphical user interface and the ability to add DVD-style menus to content copied from the unit's hard drive to a DVD-R, DVD-RW or DVD+RW disc.' Sony also appears to have added a range of extra video recording modes to maximise the amount of programming that can be stored on the PSX's hard drive."
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Sony To Ship Enhanced PSX Console/DVR Combo More

Sony To Ship Enhanced PSX Console/DVR Combo

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  • Bit too expensive for what you get... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by garcia ( 6573 ) * on Wednesday June 16, 2004 @03:03PM (#9445305)
    I just don't see it as being something that I would spend that much money on. $676 for the 160GB and $868 for the 200GB model... That seems like an awful lot of money for a device that doesn't look "sexy", doesn't do anything extraordinary over any other device of its kind, and is basically just a piece of bundled hardware.

    In a recent story (about the PSX's possible demise) someone [slashdot.org] noted that it was pretty expensive for something you could do for about $350 unbundled.

    I guess the reason that they are releasing it to Japan and then England before us Yanks is because most cable providers already offer PVRs, we have TiVO, we have rolled out our own based on various software packages (both OSS and proprietary), or we just don't care.

    I'll pass for now... Maybe if it was bundled with the PS3 it would be more attractive.

    • Re:Bit too expensive for what you get... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Mz6 ( 741941 ) * on Wednesday June 16, 2004 @03:09PM (#9445366) Journal
      "Maybe if it was bundled with the PS3 it would be more attractive."

      I just don't understand why they don't focus more (read: release) the PS3 instead of this intermediate step with the PSX. I just don't see something so expensive taking off when the same things can be had for pennies on the dollar. No.. a PS3.. A think there would be a lot of people able to fork over some dough for that beast.

      • Re:Bit too expensive for what you get... (Score:5, Insightful)

        by garcia ( 6573 ) * on Wednesday June 16, 2004 @03:18PM (#9445464)
        Well currently they are still winning w/their PS2 console. They can hold out for a while longer in comfort before MS may/may not beat them to the punch on the next generation.

        I'd prefer that they be working solely towards releasing the PS3 but that's just wishful thinking.

        Sure, enough people would be willing for fork over the dough for the PS3 but they seem to be betting on the possiblity that people will fork over the dough for this one...
      • why they don't focus more (read: release) the PS3...

        65nm, 300mm wafer.

        "Cell is going to be like IBM's Deep Blue integrated on one chip," said Ken Kutaragi, chief executive officer of SCEI, referring to IBM's chess-playing supercomputer, which is based on a massively parallel architecture.

        "One Cell processor will have, say, 1 teraflops performance. One thousand Cells make 1 petaflops performance. Then 1,000 of these 1,000 Cells can combine.

        "We are planning to create a processor architecture that makes this network connection possible. We will focus on processors. The day when processors can truly link together will surely come. This project is such a huge challenge," said Kutaragi.

        Seems pretty damned focussed to me. The Cell chip looks to be well on schedule. [ps3land.com].

        But I know what you mean; I'd like to have one next week, too. How much do you think a prototype Cell chip would cost?

      • Re:Bit too expensive for what you get... (Score:5, Interesting)

        by Spyffe ( 32976 ) on Wednesday June 16, 2004 @04:10PM (#9446060) Homepage
        First, this is not an intermediate version. According to Sony's Web site (translated from Japanese):
        The PSX is not a successor to the PlayStation2, it is a HDD/DVD recorder designed with the capabilities of the PlayStation2 in mind.
        SONY Japan planned the PlayStation2 as a platform for digital media convergence; this is an outgrowth of that. The PlayStation2 was never supposed to be just a video game console, it was a technology for media processing.

        Second, this is an eminently sellable product for its target market: people who want not just a functional but an elegant PVR. The marketing campaign in Japan features yoko, tate, pi! - loosely translated as "across, down, beep!" - scroll across to the "videos" icon, down through your videos until you find the one you want, then beep! -- it plays.

        The interface is elegant [mycom.co.jp], as is the design, and the box does what it should do with no fuss. Many consumers would pay for that, particularly in Japan where people are willing to pay more for good products.

      • "I just don't understand why they don't focus more (read: release) the PS3 instead of this intermediate step with the PSX."

        Sony can be as focused as they want on the hardware, but it's nothing without games. The difference in development cycles for PS2 games vs PS games was pretty dramatic and the first generation games always have it the hardest. Some houses started development last year and ' might [ign.com]' be ready for the 2005 release.

        I will happily wait for the system with games worth playin. In the me

    • Re:Bit too expensive for what you get... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by generic-man ( 33649 ) on Wednesday June 16, 2004 @03:12PM (#9445411) Homepage Journal
      The PSX includes a TV recorder, a large hard drive, and a DVD burner to save recorded TV shows. Comparable products that don't require a full PC [walmart.com] sell for over $800 -- and they don't play PS2 games, either.

      You can put together the hardware for $350, but you assume (rightly so, around here) that everyone has a free powerful computer to put it all in, and nobody minds a cheap uninsulated case sitting next to their TV to encode everything.
      • TV card is cheap. A large HD is cheap. A DVD burner is cheap. A mini-ITX MB w/CPU and case is relatively inexpensive.

        I guarantee it would be under the price that they give. It would also allow the user more power as they could do whatever they wanted with it (tailor it to their own needs) and they would be able to have a lot more options on how to expand the capabilities.
      • You could easily put together a cheap computer with one of these [walmart.com]. The system requirements of a P3 700mhz wont exactly break the bank, and you could still probably get a desent sized hard drive and still pay less than a PSX or TIVO-like device. Besides, who needs the ability to play PS2 games when there are much better [zsnes.com] games you could play with that computer.
    • bit expensive is an understatement...
      I can get a PS2 for $119.00 from different places on the net.
      I can get a replayTV for $109.00 from an assortment of places on the net also.

      So I am guessing that I need to add the Ethernet adapter ($39.00) and the hard drive ($79.00) and then I pretty much have the same thing. except that the replayTV has more features, upgradeable, I can openly communicate with it from my PC so I can master DVD's of my favorite shows easily and it communicates with other units in the ho
    • I guess the reason that they are releasing it to Japan and then England before us Yanks is because most cable providers already offer PVRs, we have TiVO, we have rolled out our own based on various software packages (both OSS and proprietary), or we just don't care.

      Just keep telling yourself that :)
    • It's a neat device, but like almost all sony products you pay a premium to have the letters S-O-N-Y emblazoned on the case. It's annoying, but I put up with it, because they do offer innovations and impressive industrial design they usually offer. Almost always aesthetically pleasing and nice technology. A rare combination from a manufacturer I find.

      I also think that while I truly enjoy having a "multicultural computing environment at home" (Debian/Apache/Php/Perl/MySQL/Sendmail, WinXP/Server2003/Exchange

  • Selling points (Score:5, Insightful)

    by cbrocious ( 764766 ) on Wednesday June 16, 2004 @03:05PM (#9445332) Homepage
    One of the major selling points of the original PS2 was that DVD players were still fairly expensive, but gaining popularity. For the price of a nice DVD player, you could get that and much more. I don't see that happening with the PSX, but only time will tell.

    • Re:Selling points (Score:5, Insightful)

      by stratjakt ( 596332 ) on Wednesday June 16, 2004 @03:10PM (#9445388) Journal
      It does it all - plays dvds, pvr's, plays PS2 games - all with one box sitting under your $10,000 plasma display.

      Believe it or not, this is not a lot of money to some people. Those same people bought Pioneer's LaserActive system back in the day.

      It's a niche product, hence the price tag (no loss leaders here). I don't see soccer mom going into wal-mart and buying one of these for her kids instead of a regular PS2. But I see Richie Rich buying one because it's better than a PS2.

      • Re:Selling points (Score:2, Interesting)

        by cbrocious ( 764766 )
        The problem with that is that the current "marketing" seems to be targeting normal users... or that's the way the articles are making it seem.

      • Re:Selling points (Score:4, Insightful)

        by radish ( 98371 ) on Wednesday June 16, 2004 @05:53PM (#9446959) Homepage
        If you have a $10,000 plasma you already have a much nicer DVD player than the one in this box...
        • If you have a $10,000 plasma you already have a much nicer DVD player than the one in this box...

          I know some people that have equipment like this plasma that are just a step away from living IN a box - they buy somethiung like a big expensive display and then hook a $40 DVD player to it!

          People know that "big == good", but the rest of the stuff (like progressive scan, which even the $40 players support now anyway) is a lot more of a mystery. So they feel free to ignore that part - except possibly hookin

  • Can you mod these? (Score:5, Funny)

    by stratjakt ( 596332 ) on Wednesday June 16, 2004 @03:06PM (#9445343) Journal
    Huh? Can you?

    If not I don't want one. What's the point of a DVD-R if I can't play the PS2 games I use it to copy, that is legitimately backup for educational purposes!
    • " What's the point of a DVD-R if I can't play the PS2 games I use it to copy, that is legitimately backup for educational purposes!"

      To save TV shows you recorded?

  • Don't be confused... (Score:5, Informative)

    by th1ckasabr1ck ( 752151 ) on Wednesday June 16, 2004 @03:09PM (#9445368)
    Don't be confused by the name PSX. Many people took to calling the original Playstation the PSX, but that was not an official name for the console. This new PS2 supermachine is officially known as the PSX. It's a little confusing, but what can you do?

    • You could... (Score:4, Informative)

      by Mz6 ( 741941 ) * on Wednesday June 16, 2004 @03:12PM (#9445413) Journal
      Blame the media for it. When Playstation first came out it was code named Playstation X. But when finally released, they dropped the X to just have the Playstation name. However, the media decided to keep the X moniker and made it PSX, PSX2, etc... Soo.. Blame the Media... oh.. and Canada j/k.

      • Re:You could... (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward
        Ehh, bullshit. Sony was using "PSX" in pre-release propaganda. The media didn't make up the term.

        (At the time, most people thought they would never use "Playstation" in the US because it sounded too gay, to use gamer jargon.)
      • PSX was introduced by Sony as there are usage 'worries' over the name PlayStation. Which is why the 2 is normally called the PS2 - certainly in Europe.

        PS3 is on its way, which, if I remember my Edge areticle properly wont have the Playstation name anywhere near it. I think its a Nintendo thing. That Mario bastard has some of Warios genes you know - mustachiod prick!

  • Could be better budget computer then the Xbox. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 16, 2004 @03:09PM (#9445372)
    Will the future PSX still run Linux?

  • Comment removed (Score:5, Informative)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Wednesday June 16, 2004 @03:11PM (#9445390)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • Re:Spendy, but innovative... (Score:5, Funny)

      by dancingmad ( 128588 ) on Wednesday June 16, 2004 @03:22PM (#9445506)
      Definitely more than I would pay... but remember that space is more of a commodity in Japan than here in the states.

      I don't know where these memes get started but yes, Japanese houses are small, but they're not so cramped for space that an unbundled PS2 and DVD player or whatever would have them coming out the windows.

      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by account_deleted ( 4530225 )
        Comment removed based on user account deletion
        • Square watermelons are made for gift-giving, not eating. From what I've heard, the way they're grown causes the fruit to become very bland-tasting. Spherical, basketball-sized watermelons in Japan cost about $8; some fancier varieties are about $20; and the square ones are about $90.
          • Still, the square shape has the functional purpose of fitting into small refrigerators. The big US-style fridge is not a common thing, so it does seem that the premium on space has a significant effect on how Japanese live. Another phenomenon that can only be fully explained by the living space issue is "Sodai Gomi Day." [google.com]

  • One can hope (Score:2, Redundant)

    by nizo ( 81281 )
    Hopefully once the PSX comes out the price of PS2 games will drop (but probably not before hell freezes over however). One can hope anyway. Or will there be no PSX-only-compatible games for quite some time?

    • Re:One can hope (Score:4, Informative)

      by garcia ( 6573 ) * on Wednesday June 16, 2004 @03:20PM (#9445482)
      Perhaps you are a bit confused (or didn't read the article). The PSX is just a PVR + PS2. There is nothing under the hood that makes this a different CONSOLE. It just contains a DVD recorder, HD, and TV tuner.
      • Well I assumed that there were going to be games that required the hard drive to run, but maybe not? I.E game comes on two DVD disks, at least one of which you have to load onto the drive to play for example. Being able to save games on the harddrive instead of crummy little memory cards would be nice too.

  • Ouch (Score:4, Insightful)

    by sinner0423 ( 687266 ) <sinner0423@@@gmail...com> on Wednesday June 16, 2004 @03:12PM (#9445408)
    Almost $900 for a PVR / Playstation 2? That's a bit pricey for a gaming console which i'm sure will be (already is?) obsolete.

    Acronym time : DIY PVR IMO. FU PS2/PVR DRM.
    • Seriously. Everyone who wants a ps2 has one at this point. Noone wants to re-buy another ps2.

      I dont see this being a big seller in the US at all
      • The MTBF of a PS2 is only about 3 years though. Anyone who bought a PS2 in the first year of release has probably had theirs break already, if not it will break soon. Then they'll need a new one, or a PSX.

        • My brother-in-law got his on the day the PS2 launched in the US. My wife and I now own it - and it works just fine. The only enhancement has been the addition of the HDD to play FFXI.

          I frankly, don't know what people do to their video game consoles that they break so easily. For chrissakes - my Atari 2600 still works, as does my LaserActive, TubroGrafx, DC, N64...

          Clearly, I just have a knack of picking special, non-problematic units.

          • and you dont smoke, have kids, or pets. (?)

            Or you just care about your stuff. Many people are very careless.

            My dad knocked over my ps2 when it was on its verticle stand about 2 mins after I said "be careful around the ps2. thats the wierd monolith thing sitting on my pc."

            It works now, but the player 1 controller port is sometimes twitchy, and i need to wiggle it to work.
            • We have pets (three cats and a beagle). Working on the kids thing. Never got into smoking.

              Anyhow: That is my point exactly. Why are people so careless with their stuff? I know my GameCube costs half as much now as when I bought it at launch, but, to me, that is still a $200 (plus the value of 22 games) investment. I know I can pick up an Atari 2600 for dirt cheap (unless I want a spiffy, hacked s-video one for $100), but I still make sure that it stays clean.

              Dunno. Maybe it's just me.

      • LOL! That is some funny shit. They sell something like 1 million ps2's a month. Hardware sales just spiked up big time since they just cut the price to $149.
    • Obsolete? Riiight. That's why sales of playstation 2 systems doubled after the price drop. Clearly you're delusional.

      Let's just take a look at the parts that go into it: $100 is probably the value of a PS2 sans hard drive. A 250GB disk is at least $150. While the PSX has less RAM than a PC, the PC needs more RAM to perform PVR functions - at the very least, 256MB. Let's say PC2100, that's another $20. You're going to need a TV card, $50 or so. You'll need a video card with fairly high quality TV-out; Tha

  • X-Box (Score:4, Funny)

    by hal2814 ( 725639 ) on Wednesday June 16, 2004 @03:12PM (#9445415)
    The reason that it is coming to us yanks last is that Sony is still in a pretty tight race with X-Box here in the states. That is not true in Japan and I'm pretty sure that is also not true in Europe. I can the the fancy system coming out here, but I can't see it replacing the original system since Sony needs to have a (recently reduced) $150 model to remain competitive.

    • tight race? (Score:2, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      PS2 has sold like 71 million units, Gamecube 16M and Xbox in 3rd with 15M.

      It's far from a tight race.

      It is a bit of a closer race in software sold, but these units will not lead to additional software sales.

    • Re:X-Box (Score:2, Insightful)

      by ElForesto ( 763160 )
      Sony is taking heat from MS? In what kind of bizzaro world is that happening? Based on my own observations, the PS2 is MUCH more popular than the XBox due to its plethora of PS2 and PS1 titles. I know a lot more people that own a PS2 over an XBox. Heck, I know more people that own Gamecubes than own an XBox. That says something.
      • When the following story came out, I didn't hear Sony coming out with a refutation.

        Xbox outsells Sony in month of April [gamespot.com]

        • The Xbox outsold the PS2 for one month in one country, and that was in the country that the Xbox is designed to appeal to. A whole extra 70k worth of units. At that rate, MS should catch up with Sony some time in... 2007 or 2008, or so.

          MS should really hope that Sony does hold back on the PS3 launch, huh?

          • You seem to think I care which console sells.

            I don't; I own no game consoles, and I don't plan to own one.

            The question was about whether Xbox and Sony have a heated competition or not, I simply offered the info I have.

            Why all the passion about one soulless multinational corporation versus another? Do you suppose the brass at Sony wouldn't step over your corpse to pick up a buck?

            • Then why are you trolling through the games section? Hmmm?
              • Though I'm currently "at liberty," most of my life I've been a writer and editor of magazines for the teen market, so I have a certain amount of professional interest in anything pertaining to teens.

                So, if everybody needs an excuse to be here now, and I told you mine, what is yours?

                • I don't need an excuse. I have a reason.

                  I'm a tech geek who plays games. I have since I got my Atari 2600 so many years ago. That's why I'm here - I enjoy conversing with people who have a common interest.

                  However, it strikes me that, since you don't have the firsthand experience of the items we are discussing, you are still trolling. It would be akin to me posting on the Linux sections of /.: I use Mac OS X and other Unix-based systems, so I have some peripheral contact with the subject, but I would

                  • I read threads that interest me by their topic matter. Though I asked you your "excuse" for being here, I honestly do not think you need one, and only did so because of the way in which you challenged me.

                    People have differing motivations for what they read and I don't think it's my business why any one is interested in a particular topic. If there are ways in which you could make a positive contribution to a thread on Mac OS, I think it's stingy of you to hold back because Mac users are not part of your g

      • It says that you don't know too many people who own an X-Box, but that's about all. Sales numbers are sales numbers. Microsoft doesn't have to check to see if you know someone before they sell a console to them.

        As long as X-Box and Gamecube are still actively pushing their consoles, the PS2 is taking some form of heat from them. X-Box's monthly sales are dangerously close to PS2, but PS2 has a sizeable lead in overall sales. If PS2 throttles their console sales by making their console significantly mor

  • Japan (Score:5, Interesting)

    by jgman ( 136006 ) on Wednesday June 16, 2004 @03:15PM (#9445437)
    I saw the original model in Akihabara two months ago. They seemed to be all the rage in Japan. However, I had difficulty convincing myself that it would have mass appeal in America with such a large price tag. I would think most people who want a PS2 probably own one already. For that matter, early adopters likely have a DVR/Tivo already anyways. I guess I'd like to know exactly who they are marketing this too.

    Cool device, but no market.

  • Sony (Uhmmmm...alias DRM) (Score:5, Interesting)

    by burdicda ( 145830 ) on Wednesday June 16, 2004 @03:18PM (#9445460)
    Don't fool yourselves....Sony is the biggest DRM
    whore on the planet...anyone wanna debate this
    go buy an md player...
    Look at Sony carefully...
    Know any other electronic retail mfr's that also
    own record and movie subsidiarys ????

    These people are hook, line, and sinker after
    your file sharing, movie recording asses...!!!
  • Being that the laser in Sony's PS2 is so weak I've seen consoles less than 1 year old worn out, is there any chance this device will have a laser that justifies the pricetag?
    • I've seen PS2's not do well in smoke-filled environments. Of course, the PS2's aren't the only tech device with this "problem" -- it affects computers and cd/dvd players as well. OTOH I've been using my PS2 since... well, since they were released in the states.
    • Being that the laser in Sony's PS2 is so weak I've seen consoles less than 1 year old worn out, is there any chance this device will have a laser that justifies the pricetag?

      Since it's a DVD-R it's going to have to. I've had my PS2 since launch and have had no problems with it, nor have I heard of consoles The PSX looks cool, and it's got great stats for an appliance.

      The market isn't gearheads who can build it themselves with two tin cans and some gaffer's tape: it's for people that would like to combi

      • Many first generation PS2s have laser problems. Many of them just stopped working. This is actually a common Sony trait. Almost all first generation playstation units succumbed to laser problems. Amusingly many of them will work properly if you turn them upside down. Most sony laser focus units are highly delicate (ironic in the first company to make "ruggedized" personal audio equipment, I think) and the systems can handle much less shock than, well, basically everyone else's.

  • Almost... (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I want a box that I can load all CDs, DVDs, PS1 discs, PS2 discs, and PS3 discs. They could make a 200, and a 300 disc model. It should have .5 - 1 TB. It should automatically rip a CD, convert it to mpg to format of my choice name all tracks and auto organise the CD collection. It should give full PVR functions. It should cache frequently played DVDs to reduce wear and tear on the disc. It should have built-in RAID 5 with hotswap able drives that are as easy to change as VHS tapes. It should cost less tha
  • What they need to do is concentrate on getting the PS3 out instead of trying to milk whats left of the market dry. Most hardcore gamers got the ps2 when it came out and when the graphics started to look dated switched to the Xbox. Quente [quentecafe.com]
  • where do i sign up =)
  • Since there is a Linux upgrade kit ($99) [playstation.com] for the PSX, will the EPSX also be Linux capable?

    This would make a great all-in-one platform for Freevo [sourceforge.net] or MythTV [mythtv.org].
    • That Linux kit is for ordinary PS2's not the PSX's which already have hard drives. I haven't been able to find any info on whether someone has used the Linux kit's discs to install on a PSX. It "should" work, thought it might render it useless for PVR purposes. Might have to install Linux in the way that those who want Linux and FFXI on the same HD do.

  • Screenshot of updated UI (Score:5, Informative)

    by doctor_no ( 214917 ) on Wednesday June 16, 2004 @04:04PM (#9445985)

    Here's the updated screenshot of the updated UI in the PSX. Seems to have a transparent menus over the TV show you're watching, and these screens show the customizable backgrounds for the menus.

    Screenshot [impress.co.jp]

    Screenshot [impress.co.jp]

    Screenshot [impress.co.jp]

    PSX Official Site(in Japanese) [sony.co.jp]

    • Thanks a lot...

      Now I know what I want for Christmas. I can't read kanji, but the PSX is a nice machine. Slick interface, nice styling. These shots up above are nice...

      Bah. Time to donate some sperm, I guess.

    • Ah, this illuminates the appeal to camera-happy folks. Make dvd's of all those handicam vids.

      I wonder if it's easier to get people to sit still for your home movies in Japan? Nowadays, USAns tend to think its rude to even suggest that the neighbors need to sit through a recap of your summer trip.

  • If I didn't already own a ps2, I might be willing to pay $600 for the combo presented here. Sure, I could build a pvr myself, but FROM SCRATCH, getting one that would be able to handle pvr duties well and burn dvds would cost at least $600 plus my time.

    What I really want to know is if I would be able to access the files across a network. Ps2 has the ethernet adapter you can buy, so it seems like a reasonable idea, but I imagine there's tons of reasons why sony might not want to add that capability.

    Since

  • Does it run Linux like Microsoft's gaming console?!

  • I want one. I want one now. As a gamer who has blown countless thousands of dollars over the years building PC gaming Uberboxen, only to collapse in shuddering tears at seeing the $200 PS2's graphics, controls, and game titles... I want one now!
  • If I were Sony, I'd want to make sure that the PS3 was a killer product that stuffed Microsoft so far that they decide to drop XBox entirely. Now maybe the PSX isn't a PS3, but maybe it's a platform for testing out alot of what might be delivered as features in a future PS3. If you can bring to market a radical new gaming machine based on the 'best selling PS2' with the 'proven features' and 'easy to use interface of the PSX' then Sony really have a winner on their hands.

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