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fener · Oct 11, 2004, 11:18 PM

During the month of November, Sony's highly anticipated portable gaming/music/video (media) center is coming out.

At first, it seems that PlayStation Portable (PSP) is not in the same category as iPod. Is that true? THe thing is, it is a portable gadget, and, most people do not spend extra dollars to buy separate gadgets. They always look for ALL IN ONE.

PSP's retail configurations are confirmed by Sony, and PSP is going kick some serious **tt:

FORMATS PSP Game (full function)
UMD Audio (codecs: ATRAC3plus, PCM, <MPEG4 AVC> )
UMD Video (codecs: MPEG4 AVC, ATRAC3plus, PNG
subtitles)

PSP has a gorgeous 4.3 " screen , with a 16:9 ratio, perfect for watching widescreen movies. It can play movies that use MPEG4 codec.

It can play music files that use MPEG4 codec.

PSP is also wireless:

MAIN I/O IEEE802.11b (Wi-Fi) standards
USB 2.0 (Target)
Memory Stick PRO Duo
IrDA
IR Remote (SIRCS standards)

As now, iPod is a big hit all around the world. Even it is lacking a colored screen, ability to view pictures and watch movies, it has a huge market share that makes all of its competitors envy.

iPod has seen minor updates since its debut. Better battery life, click wheel, ability to record, etc are of course great improvements. However, iPod didn't see any major updates, such as colored screen, user replaceable battery, support to play movies, support for wireless streaming etc.

PSP is aiming directly for the top, where iPod is currently located in the portable market.

Will Apple be able to hold onto the crown?
Do you think minor updates are enough?
What should Apple do/release in the near future?
PSP is coming, oh yeah. Are you one of those enthusiasts?

mdc · Oct 11, 2004, 11:36 PM

no i do not think it will knock the ipod out the way, not even close.

the psp has no internal harddrive. you would have to put all your music onto a memory stick. i have 10.26gb of music on my 20gb ipod. there is no chance i am buying 22 512mb memory sticks. that would set me back somewhere around $1760.

so for around $1900 i could get a psp that would play most (not the itunes music store music) off my powerbook. i would have to carry around 22 memory sticks, but still.

or

i could spend the +/- $200 on a psp and $300 on an ipod.

do you think the psp is going to steal anything away from apple?

also the psp and its movie capabilities. if i am buying a movie i am buying it on dvd. i am not buying it on a format so that i can watch *solely* it on a 4.3" screen.

to me the psp looks like it might be a very nice handheld gaming device. i think all the extra stuff that sony has found necessary to include is bloat.

new newton · Oct 11, 2004, 11:43 PM

Toasters cannot replace refrigerators.

yongfook · Oct 11, 2004, 11:53 PM

I highly doubt that the PSP will sync with iTunes, so as far as mac users go, I don't think its going to be an iPod killer*, unless Sony brings out some kind of proprietary OS X iTunes "killer" called Sony Excellent Media Experience 5.0 or something.

*that and, it doesn't have an internal HDD, so where is it going to store my gigabyte upon gigabyte of music? I don't fancy forking out several hundred quid for a 10GB Memory Stick. Especially as they don't exist.

maxx9photo · Oct 12, 2004, 02:07 AM

I'm not a gamer so why should I care???

fener · Oct 12, 2004, 02:13 AM

Obivously, PSP doesn't use hard drive. Thats a big minus, since the user won't be able to use their own stuff on PSP.

However, I bet that there will be UMD writers soon. Sony probably is going to wait to see how the sales go, then they are going to release an official UMD writer. It is obvious that UMD writers are going to make PSP a much more attractive device. Availability of UMD writers is going to increase game piracy, too. It is going to cost around $50 per game, and will be a lot cheaper to have your own UMD writer (?!), and, for example borrow a friend's game, and make a copy for yourself.

Sony is going to release because they know that people are going to find a way to make "not official UMDs". So, they will try to earn more money by making UMD writers, themselves, for users. (Sony also accepted that fighting piracy is not possible by simply integrating copy protection to CDs/DVDs and banning people from writing their own discs. Sony is removing copy protections from all CDs soon)

Weezer · Oct 12, 2004, 02:36 AM

the notion of this thread is rediculous. Stop trying to make a thread out of nothing. Different products, different markets, different goals.

smic · Oct 12, 2004, 03:59 AM

and the psp aint coming out till next spring at least
and there are rumors of worse battery life than the worst ipods

storer · Oct 12, 2004, 07:11 AM

No.

AND BTW, iPod is not a person or living being. It cannot "do" anything except be sold and played. A bit like women. (how terribly sexist, apologies)

Powaqqatsi · Oct 12, 2004, 07:20 AM

Spheric Harlot · Oct 12, 2004, 09:37 AM

no mp3 either.

underwhelmed.

fener · Oct 12, 2004, 10:46 AM

Originally posted by smic:
and the psp aint coming out till next spring at least

Thats for US. Things are different in Japan, for ex

DekuDekuplex · Oct 12, 2004, 09:06 PM

Originally posted by fener:
Thats for US. Things are different in Japan, for ex

Actually, I live in Japan, and that seems quite true here.

I used to live in New York for about seven and a half years until this June, when I moved to Tokyo, and I've been able to compare the consumer electronics markets to a certain degree.

In the U.S., most home electronics consumers seem to prefer products that perform a single function extremely well.

However, in Japan, most of them seem to prefer products that perform multiple functions decently.

I witness this every day when I take the train to and from work. People everywhere pull out their cellular phones, and use the same device to send e-mail, play games (on trains, platforms, buses, public benches--almost everywhere!), surf the Web, and play music. Oh, and they also occasionally use it for making phone calls, but far more people play games or send e-mail on it than use it for that purpose (especially since train regulations prohibit them from speaking on cellular phones in most train areas, although, strangely, most people use them more for e-mail or games than for making phone calls even on station platforms, where phone calls are not regulated).

For this difference, I suspect that the PSP� will be more of a hit in Japan than in the U.S. It may very well compete with the iPod in Japan.

(Incidentally, Mac's are extremely popular here as well. Just two days ago, I witnessed the woman sitting across me on the train using an iBook. However, somehow more people here seem to prefer iBook's than PowerBook's, although I myself use a PowerBook. They seem to care more about multi-functionality than performance, so long as the performance is decent. Also, they seem to care much more about color gradations, style, and aesthetics than in the U.S.; in fact, functionality and aesthetics seem equally valued here.)

-- DekuDekuplex

fener · Oct 12, 2004, 09:28 PM

Thanks for writing from Japan.

Yeah, I think its going to be a big hit in Japan. Furthermore, since the launch date is being pulled back in US, some Asia/Japan origined companies, such as Lik-Sang will get enormous amount of orders from Europe and US until PSP hits shelved all around the world.

Spheric Harlot · Oct 13, 2004, 06:05 AM

Originally posted by DekuDekuplex:
Actually, I live in Japan, and that seems quite true here.

I used to live in New York for about seven and a half years until this June, when I moved to Tokyo, and I've been able to compare the consumer electronics markets to a certain degree.

In the U.S., most home electronics consumers seem to prefer products that perform a single function extremely well.

However, in Japan, most of them seem to prefer products that perform multiple functions decently.

While this is true - the Japanese LOVE gadgets -, the iPod is the #1 seller in Japan, too.

Lancer409 · Oct 13, 2004, 11:18 PM

Originally posted by storer:
No.

AND BTW, iPod is not a person or living being. It cannot "do" anything except be sold and played. A bit like women. (how terribly sexist, apologies)

Megaditto's .. haha i love that

mhuie · Oct 18, 2004, 05:28 AM

There's no way sony will let you burn your own UMD's. The only way you're gonna play video is on the dinky Memory stick pro duo (which I think maxes out at 256mb right now). The thing is not pocketable, is it really that portable? I dont see how are comparing it with the iPod.. plus the fact that battery life isnt going to be good.

The wifi is only useful for gaming.. i highly doubt a browser. And who is going to buy movies for that thing? unless DVDs from sony pictures are going to come with a UMD also....

So u have a large device that will play music off memory sticks (what, 50 songs?)... or a 20 minute movie. (that runs full resolution).

Cellery · Oct 18, 2004, 09:45 AM

The MS Pro Duo sticks used for storage in the PSP max out at 1GB for about $350, only allowing me to carry around a fraction of my music collection at much higher cost. I also wouldn't want to waste the PSP's battery life playing music, and carrying around an iPod wouldn't be a hassle. Sony has been making portable "mp3" (after you convert to ATRAC) players for years, and the iPod still has great buzz and marketshare, It's not really a valid comparison after all, but the PSP won't hurt the iPod.

iPoder · Oct 18, 2004, 01:02 PM

First to say, I want a PSP, but only for gaming purpose.

The only potential threat I see is that Sony decides to support MP3 on UMD (currently Sony has no plan on that). But again, we already have a Hi-MD, and it never becomes popular in US.

Sadly to say, I was one of early adopter of MiniDisc. But now both MD players I have are gathering dust, yielding their prominent role to my two iPods.