[Riddler]

I saw this thread a few months back hoping to see some constructive conversation about the PSP and using it's multimedia features with MacOS X. At that time I was saddened to see pointless "PSP vs DS" comparisons and arguments going on and so left the thread well alone. Now nearly three months later I follow the link from the MacNN front page and low and behold we're on the 18th page of the same petty argument, unbelievable.

The PSP is a great high end multimedia gaming device, the DS is a great mid/low end gaming device. That's it - neither device is better than the other as they both serve to satisfy different markets all be it with a slight overlap.

Doubt I'll check back in another 3 months.

[RonnieoftheRose]

Originally posted by Preciousss:
Here's a demo of it. Sounds like it was at a convention or something.

http://media.ds.ign.com/media/733/73..._01_wmvlow.wmv

OK. That guy made the biggest ass out of himself. They've gone from 'Blook at my blicep' to 'Booo bara boo doo doo elektro plakton. Booo bara boo doo doo elektro plakton. Booo bara boo doo doo elektro plakton.'

[budster101]

<Austin Powers> Why-won't-this-thread-die!</Austin Powers>

// pitiful Goldmember movie reference

[porieux]

...

[darcybaston]

Porieux, I feel the same.

I tried both and didn't like either of them. Getting stuck with a pen on the DS is annoying, and so is managing a long rectangular object in the case of the PSP. Neither are comfortable to hold for too long considering their input devices.

[ink]

Well, good luck watching 16:9 movies on the iPod or GBA. The hackability of the PSP is amazing; I checked out the latest source for ffmpeg, which can encode to MPEG-4 for the PSP. It plugs in nicely with mencoder, and I can "rip, mix, burn" video to the PSP just fine. I need to get a larger memory stick (still using the lame 32MB one that came with it), but I figure that I'll be able to put 4-6 full-length feature films on a 1GB stick. It'll play all that from flash, so the big battery drain (the optical drive) won't be in use, which should give some longer battery life.

It'd be cool if I could get the 802.11 to stream from my desktop...

Oh, and I bought a game for it too, but I haven't played it yet.

[JohnSmithXTREME]

At least its funny to watch 30-40 year old men bicker about little toys. The question they should be asking themselves is: will a portable gaming unit get me laid? The answer is no!

[JohnM15141]

No it won't, but in between(and for some of us thats a long "in-between") it's nice to have something to do besides...well you know..anywhoo, the bottom line is the PSP is fun and looks great! It's a good bet, sony is usually successfull at these things. I got one because it looked fun, and it is! I'm looking forward to more games, I don't expect all the games to be fun, but enough of them will be to keep me happy, and there will be different games to appeal to others. Plus the PSP has a lot of Potential to do many things, it's going to be fun ride.

Originally posted by JohnSmithXTREME:
At least its funny to watch 30-40 year old men bicker about little toys. The question they should be asking themselves is: will a portable gaming unit get me laid? The answer is no!

[Hawkeye_a]

Originally posted by JohnSmithXTREME:
At least its funny to watch 30-40 year old men bicker about little toys. The question they should be asking themselves is: will a portable gaming unit get me laid? The answer is no!

hehe....

[cmoney]

I gotta say, I just got back from a trip to Vegas and the PSP got used 10x more than my iPod. The flight was packed and I was lazy in booking tickets so we got stuck at the back of the plane but the flight still went by really quickly because of the PSP.

In total, I watched 2 episodes of South Park, 2 episodes of Arrested Development and half of Spiderman 2. Then also played about 3 games of Lumines which is totally addicting, each game was about 25 minutes. It was nonstop PSP for me, and before I knew it, the flight was over. That's never happened with my GameBoy Advance SP/iPod combo. And with the PSP software out already on the Mac (PSPware rulez) I get the same sync features that the iPod offers albeit without support for the iTMS files.

Add to that the superior photo slideshows on the PSP (you can zoom and pan/scan with the PSP) and my new iPod photo sat in my carry-on more than I expected.

Minuses? Because of its size, I won't be carrying it around when out and about like I can with my iPod, but for travel purposes, the PSP more than makes up for the added weight and size. And load time can be an issue depending on the game (Tiger Woods load times are horrible) but at least once the game is loaded up, it stays in memory even if you power down, so returning to the game is much quicker.

Also, compared to the iPod, the PSP offers removeable batteries so my upcoming trips to Singapore and Alaska should be easier to manage with an added battery or two. Even so, after the 4.5 hour flight to Vegas, and using the PSP about 75% of that time, I still had 2 bars of battery left.

A hard drive would be awesome, but I'll stick to memory sticks if it means better battery life. And someone asked about multimedia use. MP3 use sucks, but if I didn't have an iPod, it would be good enough. Photo slide shows are great as I bought a Sony digital camera on the trip and you can stick the memory stick in and view the pics instantly. You can also zoom in and scan around the pic which takes advantage of that beautiful screen (no dead pixels on mine). And video use is great, PSPware very nicely integrates automatic conversion of your video files and lets you pick which ones you want to sync to the PSP. I've found video quality to be pretty good and with the popularity of the PSP, it's getting very easy to find resources (nudge nudge wink wink) to download pre-encoded videos.

One very satisfied user here. I love my PSP and it's been exactly what I've been looking for for years. I'd say the attention to detail that Sony put in rivals what Apple has. I'm impressed.

[Socially Awkward Solo]

Originally posted by cmoney:
One very satisfied user here. I love my PSP and it's been exactly what I've been looking for for years. I'd say the attention to detail that Sony put in rivals what Apple has. I'm impressed.

Yup, I haven't seen anyone who has OWNED or used a PSP say otherwise. As for the DS, well even the editors of the DS section of ign and planet game cube say very negative things about it.

Also check this out, Wipeout pure has new downloadable levels and ships coming soon. Something else the DS can't offer as it doesn't have the space to store it and no removable media.

http://psp.ign.com/articles/602/602756p1.html

[starman]

Originally posted by JohnSmithXTREME:
At least its funny to watch 30-40 year old men bicker about little toys. The question they should be asking themselves is: will a portable gaming unit get me laid? The answer is no!

That's right, we DON'T need it.

Mike

[porieux]

...

[RonnieoftheRose]

Originally posted by porieux:
They are as capable for watching movies on as my need for watching movies on a tiny screen...i.e. nil.

Watching movies on a hanheld is just plain stupid.

The PSP screen up close is just as big in perspective as a television is three meters away as are some airplane in-seat screens. The only movies that will be released in UMD format will be action and Toy Story like CG movies for on-the-road or kid-in-bed entertainment. Don't expect a huge library. It's purpose is gaming and it does its job better than current full size consoles.

[ink]

Originally posted by RonnieoftheRose:
The only movies that will be released in UMD format will be action and Toy Story like CG movies for on-the-road or kid-in-bed entertainment. Don't expect a huge library. It's purpose is gaming and it does its job better than current full size consoles.

You can rip any DVD to the memory stick, no need to purchase UMD films. It's purpose isn't just gaming.

[cmoney]

Originally posted by porieux:
They are as capable for watching movies on as my need for watching movies on a tiny screen...i.e. nil.

Watching movies on a handheld is just plain stupid.

Wasn't stupid to me on the plane or when I was on the treadmill. It's perfect for that. A 4" screen is fine for those uses. It'll be great on my 10 hour nonstop to Alaska.

[mdc]

Originally posted by porieux:
They are as capable for watching movies on as my need for watching movies on a tiny screen...i.e. nil.

Watching movies on a handheld is just plain stupid.

if you had asked me before i bought my psp i would have said the same thing. i really thought that watching movies on a tiny screen is stupid.

i got one of the psps that came with the spiderman 2 umd and i have watched it, and it is not bad at all. i highly doubt i'd try watch anything during a commute since (my) commutes do not have enough time, i'd rather listen to some songs or play a game. but on a flight, or in an airport departure lounge, a psp with a memory stick with some tv episodes, or a movie would work nicely.

Originally posted by JohnSmithXTREME:
At least its funny to watch 30-40 year old men bicker about little toys. The question they should be asking themselves is: will a portable gaming unit get me laid? The answer is no

i love how people automatically assume that if someone plays video games they have no sex life. yeah it could be true, but it could also be true that anyone can not have a sex life, video games or not.

stop stereotyping people.

.edit.
oh yeah, wanted to add. i was looking around gamespot today and their video reviews are downloadable in psp .mp4 format. kinda neat. and gamestop now has fifa set to be released on the 10th of may. ebgames still says the 25th of april. i hope it has not been pushed back _again_

[porieux]

...

[Swift]

It may or may not be a good game machine. I don't personally give a good g-d, as games are, to me, a monstrous bore. Others differ.

But this is being called, in the pop press, an "iPod killer," and that I can't see. As a music machine, it sucks big time. You have to get past the dopey Sony formats, and there's no hard drive. Game over.

Not only that, although it's cool that you can hack an mp-4 to play on this tiny, though very pretty screen, who cares? Who wants to watch a movie on a tiny little handheld? You put on the earplugs, turn on the iPod and go about your business, from walking to running to riding on the bus. Or you plug it into your car for some respite from radio, the communication medium for blithering idiots.

But, say you want to watch, oh, say, "Fever Pitch." You can go to the theater for a great projector and multiple speakers. And hold hands and neck with the GF or BF. You can wait for the DVD and play it on your TV and neck. You have a screen from 21" to 60", and stereo sound and all that. But watch videos on the little handheld? Where, in the bus station? You can't even walk with your eyes focused on a postage stamp. I don't think people want to do that in any numbers. They'll read or listen to music or talk to their pals or just people watch until they get to a place where you can really watch. Oh, and by the way, the battery life sucks if you want to watch anything but a preview.

Now, game visuals are another thing. The screen is great. Hackers will have fun with it.But iIt's no iPod killer, because it doesn't do the same thing.

[Busemann]

The movie capabilities will probably be popular for those who want to catch up with the latest episodes of 24 and the office when they commute to work and stuff like that. I can definitely see the movie & photo slideshow features as nice things to have for lots of people, although it is mainly a games machine.

[RonnieoftheRose]

Originally posted by Swift:
You have to get past the dopey Sony formats.

Not only that, although it's cool that you can hack an mp-4 to play on this tiny.

Now, game visuals are another thing. The screen is great. Hackers will have fun with it.But iIt's no iPod killer, because it doesn't do the same thing.

After 19 pages this moron turns up. mp3 is not a Sony format. You don't need to 'hack' mp4s. It has never been called an iPod killer or replacement otherwise Sony wouldn't have the new Network Walkman's to compete against the iPod.

[mdc]

Originally posted by porieux:
Please don't attribute quotes to me that are not my words.
I didn't post that.

damn, i'm sorry, i did not even notice that. i have no idea how that happened.

[mdc]

Originally posted by Swift:
It may or may not be a good game machine. I don't personally give a good g-d, as games are, to me, a monstrous bore. Others differ.

But this is being called, in the pop press, an "iPod killer," and that I can't see. As a music machine, it sucks big time. You have to get past the dopey Sony formats, and there's no hard drive. Game over.

it does not only play atrac files. it plays .mp3s just fine. kinda cool how it uses the artwork from itunes also.

Originally posted by Swift:
Not only that, although it's cool that you can hack an mp-4 to play on this tiny, though very pretty screen, who cares? Who wants to watch a movie on a tiny little handheld?

read a few posts up. there are people who have had good experiences with watching movies on this, people who'd disagree with your statement.

Originally posted by Swift:
Oh, and by the way, the battery life sucks if you want to watch anything but a preview.

i think you might want to call sony and return your psp (or just the battery) if yours is not lasting long. mine is getting upwards of 5 hours of play and movie watching off it. i watched the whole of spiderman 2 off it, played a hour of ridge racer and an hour of nfl street and there was still battery life.

but yeah, call sony, ask them for a new battery.

[cmoney]

yeah i was apprehensive before getting it from hearing about bad battery life. it's been anything but in my experience. after i got back from the trip (using it for about 3 hours or so) i got home and finished spiderman 2 and gamed for another 3 hours for around 5-6 hours of usage on a single battery. so no, it's not bad at all, and spinning that UMD for the 2 hours of spiderman has to be a battery drainer. i've got collateral, anchorman and the incredibles all ready for PSP playback for my next trip.

as for "ipod killer," i don't see it going head to head functionality-wise, but in the fight for parent's dollars it will go up against it during the next holiday season. if you've got $300 to spend on a gift for someone, it's going to go to either the ipod or the psp, not both. and if you've only got $300 in disposable cash to spend on yourself, same thing there too. but the ipod has a potentially larger market compared to the psp so it should do fine.

[radii_22]

The PSP is nice, great screen, great 3d graphics capabilities... But it's controls and user interface are just a joke for me. Only one "mini" analogical stick seems just stupid to play today's standard 3d games. I don't speak necessarily of 3d shooters, consider for example playing Prince of Persia without the capability of changing the position of the camera. When I saw the first shot of the PSP, almost a year ago, I almost fall of my seat when not seeing innovation in user interface. I liked more the first prototype, which used a wheel like the iPod's, at least it would be nice to play car games.

I don't like DS industrial design, is really ugly, but Nintendo is makin g an effort in innovating user control. The game "project rub" is already a classic and an icon of a different game with a very particular gameplay. I've also tested Metroid Hunters in the DS, and it provides almost the same sensation of playing a 3d shooter with a mouse. The touchscreen is really an incredible idea. Shame that the ID is just lame and that the 3d capabilities are poor.

[kentuckyfried]

speaking of large screens and all, has anybody here managed to acquire one without a single dead pixel?

I've been through 5 of them and I still haven't found a defect-free unit. The lady at Toys R Us wasn't too pleased, and was going to break with company policy and just give me a full refund (which I should've just accepted this afternoon, it would set me free to get something from Target or Costco, which has a much more lenient return policy). *shrugs*

Is it unreasonable to expect a PSP whose LCD has no dead pixels? I mean, sure, it might cost Sony a bit more to manufacture and sell, but I don't think it's excusable. My 20" Cinema Display doesn't have a single dead pixel on it, so in theory, something that much smaller shouldn't be hard to get perfect. It's not a noticeable problem when playing games, but it is visible when using the PSP as a picture viewer. Besides, it's the though of paying $270 and knowing that it has that kind of problem that's troublesome. It's like buying a new car and knowing that it has a major paint scratch.

But maybe I am not seeing it from an objective view. Am I being too picky?

[powerbook867]

No dead pixels here. I don't think you are being too picky, sounds like Toysrus got a bad pallet of them in...sucks you have to go through all that bs...

[JohnM15141]

My PSP came with one dead pixel in the upper left quadrant. I figured "what the hey" it's just one dead pixel and the store was all out of PSP's anyway so, I couldn't exchange it, I decided to live with it. Well, "Lo and Behold" after a week of use it's gone! Now, I have a perfect PSP and I love that little analog joystick. This thing is great!

Originally posted by kentuckyfried:
speaking of large screens and all, has anybody here managed to acquire one without a single dead pixel?

I've been through 5 of them and I still haven't found a defect-free unit. The lady at Toys R Us wasn't too pleased, and was going to break with company policy and just give me a full refund (which I should've just accepted this afternoon, it would set me free to get something from Target or Costco, which has a much more lenient return policy). *shrugs*

Is it unreasonable to expect a PSP whose LCD has no dead pixels? I mean, sure, it might cost Sony a bit more to manufacture and sell, but I don't think it's excusable. My 20" Cinema Display doesn't have a single dead pixel on it, so in theory, something that much smaller shouldn't be hard to get perfect. It's not a noticeable problem when playing games, but it is visible when using the PSP as a picture viewer. Besides, it's the though of paying $270 and knowing that it has that kind of problem that's troublesome. It's like buying a new car and knowing that it has a major paint scratch.

But maybe I am not seeing it from an objective view. Am I being too picky?

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Ya the analog controller is the best controls ever on a portable.

[Stogieman]

Originally posted by Socially Awkward Solo:

Also check this out, Wipeout pure has new downloadable levels and ships coming soon. Something else the DS can't offer as it doesn't have the space to store it and no removable media.

http://psp.ign.com/articles/602/602756p1.html

That's awesome. I'm glad I went with Wipeout instead of Ridge Racer when I purchased my PSP today.

[Albert Pujols]

Originally posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker:
Ya the analog controller is the best controls ever on a portable.

The NeoGeo Pocket Color had a better controller. It was basically a small joystick.

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Originally posted by Albert Pujols:
The NeoGeo Pocket Color had a better controller. It was basically a small joystick.

Ya but it was slippery.

[blue storm 1337]

what a bunch of srry little adult kiddies who were tricked into buying the piece of crap DS. the only people who play lame-ass gamess like mario are absolute pathetic no hopers. They're teh most pathetic, bow legged mingers that God ever suffered to crawl on the surface of this earth. I would not lower myself to release my sperm onto that miserable spunk bucket known as the Ninetdo DS>

[Albert Pujols]

[kentuckyfried]

I'm really curious to see what PSP has in store in terms of extended features. Movies on the PSP would be a great thing. The big drawback now though is the price of large capacity memory sticks, which is Sony's fault really, being greedy and all.

Originally posted by Riddler:
I saw this thread a few months back hoping to see some constructive conversation about the PSP and using it's multimedia features with MacOS X. At that time I was saddened to see pointless "PSP vs DS" comparisons and arguments going on and so left the thread well alone. Now nearly three months later I follow the link from the MacNN front page and low and behold we're on the 18th page of the same petty argument, unbelievable.

The PSP is a great high end multimedia gaming device, the DS is a great mid/low end gaming device. That's it - neither device is better than the other as they both serve to satisfy different markets all be it with a slight overlap.

Doubt I'll check back in another 3 months.

[kentuckyfried]

heh...awesome.

I had one dead pixel in my first unit (the Spider-Man 2 limited edition set), and I decided to just return it, since it was dead center in the screen.

Lo and behold, all subsequent units have had more dead pixels on the screen (they seem smaller though, or maybe it's my imaginations), 3-4 on average. And to top it off, there's no Spider-Man 2 UMD.

Sony...you damn bastages!!

Originally posted by JohnM15141:
My PSP came with one dead pixel in the upper left quadrant. I figured "what the hey" it's just one dead pixel and the store was all out of PSP's anyway so, I couldn't exchange it, I decided to live with it. Well, "Lo and Behold" after a week of use it's gone! Now, I have a perfect PSP and I love that little analog joystick. This thing is great!

[Destonius]

Just out of curiosity. Is PSP really doing that well in the United States or is it just the nature of techno geek forum that makes it seem that way?

It has been a real disaster in Japan and SCE CEO Kutaragi was fired from Sony Electronics for his atrocious failures in PSX and PSP. Will it survive, but only in the United States and possibly Europe like X-Box?

And no, I don't own a DS. Not anymore. I've semi-permanently loaned it my friend

[Busemann]

Originally posted by Destonius:
Just out of curiosity. Is PSP really doing that well in the United States or is it just the nature of techno geek forum that makes it seem that way?

It has been a real disaster in Japan and SCE CEO Kutaragi was fired from Sony Electronics for his atrocious failures in PSX and PSP. Will it survive, but only in the United States and possibly Europe like X-Box?

And no, I don't own a DS. Not anymore. I've semi-permanently loaned it my friend

Are you kidding? 3 million PSP's have been sold since it was released in Japan, so I'm not sure what you mean by "atrocious failure". Ken Kutaragi has never worked at Sony Electronics, but he is still in charge of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc

[Hawkeye_a]

I read something of that sort as well on some gaming/business site....i know there's been a shakeup at the top of SONY, due to the PSX and PSP. Not entirely sure who tho.

[mdc]

Originally posted by kentuckyfried:
speaking of large screens and all, has anybody here managed to acquire one without a single dead pixel?

when i bought mine at walmart i asked the guy if i could open it up and check it out for dead pixels beforehand. he said he does not think the battery is charged, therefore we can't turn it on, and thus can't check.
i took a chance and there are no dead pixels on it. i was so happy!

[starman]

Bloodrayne coming to the PSP:

http://www.bloodrayne2.com/news/36/

Mike

[Destonius]

Sony has never sold 3 million units in Japan. Not a chance.

They "shipped" 1 million in Japan, only selling 500,000 units in first month. Then, they "shipped" 1 million units for United States to be stored in ships and warehouses before the US launch, still counting that as units sold in Japan. It's a very well known fact in Japan and even mr.Miyamoto of Nintendo has referred to this fact in an interview. (Again, I'm not a Nintendo fanboy.) I don't know where the other million comes from. If you could only read Japanese. Sony is taking a lot of heat from people in Japan nowadays. I guess it's up for you to save them.

Third parties in Japan are all pulling out of PSP, freezing virtually all titles that were announced for it. I guess you still have third party support from US developers, so that's ok for US users, I suppose.

Mr.Kutaragi had always been a part of Sony Electronics, even hoping to reach the top of Sony empire with his success with his creation SCE, but that ambition was destroyed as former CEO Idei, rated as the worst CEO in the world by US business journal, abdicated, taking down Kutaragi with him last month. (Idei always hated Kutaragi.)

I was genuinely curious about PSP's succes/failure over there. Don't mean to irritate anyone here. I would've preferred them to have succeeded than not. I was kind of hoping to get a PSP in white with tons of cool game for it, but that's not going happen for me in Japan, ever.

[Destonius]

Sorry, 3 million units in Japan & US. Duh!!
I don't think the number still adds up to 3 million for they only sold little over 500,000 at US launch.

Don't forget, Gamegear and Wonder Swan sold millions and millions before disappearing from the scene.

[Busemann]

Originally posted by Destonius:
It's a very well known fact in Japan and even mr.Miyamoto of Nintendo has referred to this fact in an interview.

Well, that settles it then

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Originally posted by Destonius:
Don't forget, Gamegear and Wonder Swan sold millions and millions before disappearing from the scene.

So we should give up on the DS now?

[jasonsRX7]

Originally posted by kentuckyfried:
speaking of large screens and all, has anybody here managed to acquire one without a single dead pixel?

Mine has no dead pixels. I was worried about it but took a chance anyway. However, the loading tray doesn't close all the way on mine. If you look at the top of it, the left side isn't closed as much as the right. I wonder if that's common.

[mdc]

i heard that that is fairly common. the left hand side of mine is a *tiny* bit higher than the right. hardly worth complaining to sony about though.

[Destonius]

Jeez, chill out people. How can you get so damn excited about portable gaming devices, PSP or DS. Don't forget to be grateful that you are blessed to be able to get excited about entertainment devices and not worry about urgent biological needs. (that includes myself)

[kentuckyfried]

So why is the PSP doing so poorly? The numbers sound like a lot, but I don't have a sense for them in business terms.

What does Idei's abdication have to do with Katuragi? Last I heard, they picked some other guy instead of Katuragi for a big promotion.

It's kind of odd...isn't Katuragi the guy who came up with the concept of making the original playstation? Without that thing, Sony would be having even more problems than it does today.

Originally posted by Destonius:
Sony has never sold 3 million units in Japan. Not a chance.

They "shipped" 1 million in Japan, only selling 500,000 units in first month. Then, they "shipped" 1 million units for United States to be stored in ships and warehouses before the US launch, still counting that as units sold in Japan. It's a very well known fact in Japan and even mr.Miyamoto of Nintendo has referred to this fact in an interview. (Again, I'm not a Nintendo fanboy.) I don't know where the other million comes from. If you could only read Japanese. Sony is taking a lot of heat from people in Japan nowadays. I guess it's up for you to save them.

Third parties in Japan are all pulling out of PSP, freezing virtually all titles that were announced for it. I guess you still have third party support from US developers, so that's ok for US users, I suppose.

Mr.Kutaragi had always been a part of Sony Electronics, even hoping to reach the top of Sony empire with his success with his creation SCE, but that ambition was destroyed as former CEO Idei, rated as the worst CEO in the world by US business journal, abdicated, taking down Kutaragi with him last month. (Idei always hated Kutaragi.)

I was genuinely curious about PSP's succes/failure over there. Don't mean to irritate anyone here. I would've preferred them to have succeeded than not. I was kind of hoping to get a PSP in white with tons of cool game for it, but that's not going happen for me in Japan, ever.

[Busemann]

Originally posted by Destonius:
It has been a real disaster in Japan and SCE CEO Kutaragi was fired from Sony Electronics for his atrocious failures in PSX and PSP.

Third parties in Japan are all pulling out of PSP, freezing virtually all titles that were announced for it.