[Hawkeye_a]

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
Your math is warped. You are taking north american sales and sales from Japan plus adding an extra month of sales.

That is why the PSP is outselling the DS and even with only selling it in Japan and not being able to keep up with demand.

Wait till it hits North America.

really ? well since your only considering japan for sales figures, why dont we consider North America ? NDS =1.4 million, PSP = 0.

Now lets consider worldwide sales figures. yet again... i cannot simplify this any further. i dont care about the 'ifs' and 'buts' you try and bring to this argument...facts remain. NDS has sold 2.8 million plus and PSP <1 million world wide. thats approximately a factor of 3.

If Sony cant ship untis to N.America & Europe... well boo-friggon-hoo... let me know when that changes the current worldwide sales figures.

PS>> Sony hasnt even shipped 1.4 million units worldwide. And Nintendo has already sold 1.4 mil(approx) in Japan and 1.4mil(approx) in the U.S.

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

North American price and release date announced:

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050203/sfth050_1.html

[Xeo]

I do wanna say that the amount of PSPs sold is pretty much a moot point since every PSP that Sony has put out to sell has been sold. If they had put out 5 million more, who knows the actual sales rates. What's the point of arguing numbers if they are sold out?

[ort888]

At $250 bucks I'm going to wait. If they had put it out at $150 as was possibly rumored, I would have bought it in a second. As it stands, none of the launch titles are that appealing to me.

PSP US Launch Date and Price Revealed

Uh-oh. It's going to be more expensive than anticipated.

By Matt Casamassina



February 3, 2005 - Sony Computer Entertainment America today announced the North American launch date and pricing structure for its anticipated PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld. The device, which launched in Japan last year, is set to debut in the US and Canada on March 24 for suggested retail prices of $249 USD and $299.99 CND respectively.

Unlike the Japanese launch, which offered a base PSP package for approximately $185 USD, North American buyers will only be able to get one bundle, the pricier PSP Value Pack. The good news is that the Pack comes standard with a good number of extras that help make the purchase worthwhile, including a 32MB Memory Stick Duo, headphones with remote control, battery pack, AC adaptor, soft case, and cleaning cloth. In addition, the bundle boasts a movie/music/game sampler UMD disc with non-interactive demos. On top of everything else, the first one million people to purchase a PSP in the US will receive a bonus UMD featuring the full feature film Spider-Man 2.

"PSP will evolve and elevate portable entertainment, giving users the freedom to play full 3D games, watch movies, listen to music and connect wirelessly on their terms, their time and their place," said Kaz Hirai, president and chief executive officer, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "More than ever, today's consumer demands access to entertainment outside the home without compromising quality. With more than 100 PSP game titles currently in development worldwide, and the ability to download and listen to digital music and view feature films with breathtaking screen quality, PSP lets users control their entertainment options, all in one package."

Sony also announced the preliminary list of launch titles, to be released simultaneously with the handheld:

Ape Escape: On the Loose, Sony Computer Entertainment America
ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails, Sony Computer Entertainment America
Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower, Capcom
Dynasty Warriors, KOEI
FIFA 2005, Electronic Arts
Gretzky NHL, Sony Computer Entertainment America
Lumines, Ubisoft
Metal Gear Acid, Konami
MLB, Sony Computer Entertainment America
MVP Baseball, Electronic Arts
NBA, Sony Computer Entertainment America
NBA Street Showdown, Electronic Arts
Need for Speed Rivals, Electronic Arts
NFL Street 2 Unleashed, Electronic Arts
Rengoku: Tower of Purgatory, Konami
Ridge Racer, Namco
Smartbomb, Eidos Interactive
Spider-Man 2, Activision
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR, Electronic Arts
Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix, Activision
Twisted Metal: Head On, Sony Computer Entertainment America
Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade, Sony Online Entertainment
Wipeout Pure, Sony Computer Entertainment America
World Tour Soccer, Sony Computer Entertainment America


Sony said it would manufacture one million PSP units for sale in the North American market by the end of its fiscal year on March 31.

[Busemann]

Originally posted by ort888:
At $250 bucks I'm going to wait. If they had put it out at $150 as was possibly rumored, I would have bought it in a second. As it stands, none of the launch titles are that appealing to me.

I think $250 is a great prize considering everything you get in the package.

fwiw. it costs over $400 for Sony to make one, and since the dollar is so low it would be unrealistic to prize it lower.

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Originally posted by Busemann:
I think $250 is a great prize considering everything you get in the package.

fwiw. it costs over $400 for Sony to make one, and since the dollar is so low it would be unrealistic to prize it lower.

The price is rather good considering that Nintendo is selling an add on pack for $50 that lets the DS play music and movies.

The PSP does it out of the box.

[ort888]

Not if you don't want your handheld to play movies and music.

Actually, the DS is starting to look more attractive to me. I know I need to play the New Advance Wars when it comes out (unless they hose it up somehow) and Mario, Wario and Metroid all look interesting.

There are no Sony games I want.

I think I'll wait until Advance Wars comes out for the DS and make my decision then.

[sideus]

I tried a DS, didn't like it. I'll stick with my GameBoy Advance for now.

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

CNN/Money's report also mentions that the PSP will feature twenty-four game titles available at launch. There are currently about fifteen Nintendo DS titles on the shelves, though there are some major releases scheduled before the PSP launch, including Wario Ware: Touched.

Jonathan says: I think Sony is smart to release the PSP at a higher price but with more goodies included. The Memory Stick would be a required purchase anyway, and Spider-Man 2 on UMD is a huge selling point. I'm skeptical of the twenty-four launch titles, but Nintendo should be embarrassed that such a number is being seriously thrown around. The DS library is pitiful right now, and unless Nintendo can release a killer-app between now and 3/24, they will have largely squandered their five-month lead. To Nintendo's advantage is that there is now a $100 price gap between the systems, which should let them avoid dropping the DS price for now, but they should consider giving the DS a similar package by including a real game (Super Mario 64 DS) or the upcoming Play Yan media adapter instead of, or in addition to, the First Hunt demo.

http://planetgamecube.com/news.cfm?action=item&id=5983

[starman]

http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=261293

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Originally posted by starman:
http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=261293

"MP3 playback, headphones, 80% Vol: 10:48"

That's not bad, better than my 3G iPod that's for sure.

[Shaddim]

Originally posted by sideus:
I tried a DS, didn't like it. I'll stick with my GameBoy Advance for now.

I agree. I went to buy a DS a month ago and changed my mind, it felt and looked like a cheap POS.

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Originally posted by MacNStein:
I agree. I went to buy a DS a month ago and changed my mind, it felt and looked like a cheap POS.

Other than the tiny COLOUR screen it looks like it from the 80's. Nothing modern looking about it. Just in terms of looks the PSP looks about 20 years ahead of it (and performance also actually)

[lavar78]

The DS library is pitiful right now, and unless Nintendo can release a killer-app between now and 3/24, they will have largely squandered their five-month lead.

... except the DS plays those 15 or so titles in addition to all Gameboy Advance games.

I've been enjoying my DS much more than I thought I would. The only game I have is Madden 2005, but it's a lot of fun.

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Fanboys awards for the year:

http://planetgamecube.com/specials.c...profile&id=521

"Biggest DisappointmentThe Launch Line-Up for the DS

Sure, Nintendo�s third pillar is an original idea, but what�s the point if we don�t get any worthwhile titles until March? Not even the fantastic port of Super Mario 64 or the quirky, yet lovable Feel the Magic XY/XX could save the DS�s launch from feeling sorely empty and hopelessly lackluster. Still, the DS does have some power in its punch, and we�re sure it�ll have a great year in 2005.

Runner Up: Resident Evil 4 and Viewtiful Joe no longer exclusive"

[Hawkeye_a]

Hmmm.... backwards compatibility with hundreds of GBA games. A new different approach to portable gaming (along with the traditional approach if chosen), 15-20 launch titles exclusive for the DS (exclusive = UI features not available anywhere else). As opposed to....

-Something $100 more expensive
-No backward compatibility to anything, and 24 launch titles in total.
-With nothing innovative of the gaming experience.
-on a plus side, i must admit, 10+ hours of MP3 playback is awesome....now... the only hurdle is dishing out the money for a 700MB+ memory stick. (if songs are encoded at 160kbps MP3). But the 10+ hour batter life is still a good acheivment. Too bad i already own an iPod, so if i ever got this device i wouldnt use it for music anyway, but i'd be paying for that feature anyway.
-another plus.... the graphics are really good. But...i'm not one of those geeks who buys a new graphics card for their PCs the day it comes out, cause it's can do 20 fps more than my current card, u know ? but thats just me.

[HellionNecrosis]

i'z sure ain't no expert on all this, but whenever I go into the gameshop, you don't see teenagers or adults looking/playing with the DS. I have however asked just out of curiousity from the workers at 3 of the local Gamestops here in Hawaii, about what was the age of people getting pre-orders for DS and PSP. They told me for the DS, it was most little kids (parents put in pre-order) and still younger kids buying it. For PSP tho, mostly adults and upper teens. As I have always felt, Nintendo gears towards kids, and heck go to a Elementary/Middle school and ask the kids what portable they are playing and they all tell ya the got some kind of NINTENDO portable system. There is also a cost factor for parents buying PSP or DS for all of the kids. In conclusion, no matter what Nintendo will always have the kids market, until other manf. market for the 13 and under. And what can be more worst than some bratty kid(s) begging his/her folks for a Nintendo something. And with parents, ECONOMICS usually come first.

[goMac]

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
Fanboys awards for the year:

http://planetgamecube.com/specials.c...profile&id=521

"Biggest DisappointmentThe Launch Line-Up for the DS

Sure, Nintendo�s third pillar is an original idea, but what�s the point if we don�t get any worthwhile titles until March? Not even the fantastic port of Super Mario 64 or the quirky, yet lovable Feel the Magic XY/XX could save the DS�s launch from feeling sorely empty and hopelessly lackluster. Still, the DS does have some power in its punch, and we�re sure it�ll have a great year in 2005.

Runner Up: Resident Evil 4 and Viewtiful Joe no longer exclusive"

It's not like its for their "biggest disappointment" category or anything..

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Put my deposit for a PSP and a game down today. Strongly suggest you do the same.

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Something to look forward to if anyone doesn't want the PSP:

[mishap]

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
Something to look forward to if anyone doesn't want the PSP:

Someone needs to ask it... You really have nothing to do with your life?

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Originally posted by mishap:
Someone needs to ask it... You really have nothing to do with your life?

I don't need to ask you that as I seem to follow me around

[goMac]

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
Something to look forward to if anyone doesn't want the PSP:

Someone is insecure...

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Originally posted by goMac:
Someone is insecure...

Considering the two people who posted right after me I would have to say yes, you guys are rather insecure as you spend more time in here than people who plan on buying one.

[TheBadgerHunter]

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
I don't need to ask you that as I seem to follow me around

Seriously though, is it really worth it? Posting anything with a negative comment in it? All the Sony fanboy crap? You know no one gives a crap yet you continue with this obsession.

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

"Come March 24th, the PSP will already have 5 games with online functionality in its lineup: Twisted Metal: Head-On, ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin� Trails & three 989 sports titles (MLB, NBA & Gretzky NHL). This is an impressive push, seeing as how the DS still doesn�t have any online games�not to mention, it took the current generation of consoles almost a year to get it going.

All 5 games will feature two wireless multiplayer modes._ The standard method will connect PSPs that are close together (i.e. in the same room), while the �infrastructure� mode makes use of the built in Wi-Fi to link players over the Internet via hotspots._ The 989 titles support only 2 players, and ATV up to 4 players, but Twisted Metal boasts as many as 6!_ Watch out Nintendo, big things are happening, big things�"

http://www.joystiq.com/entry/1234000807030948/

[goMac]

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
"Come March 24th, the PSP will already have 5 games with online functionality in its lineup: Twisted Metal: Head-On, ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin� Trails & three 989 sports titles (MLB, NBA & Gretzky NHL). This is an impressive push, seeing as how the DS still doesn�t have any online games�not to mention, it took the current generation of consoles almost a year to get it going.

All 5 games will feature two wireless multiplayer modes._ The standard method will connect PSPs that are close together (i.e. in the same room), while the �infrastructure� mode makes use of the built in Wi-Fi to link players over the Internet via hotspots._ The 989 titles support only 2 players, and ATV up to 4 players, but Twisted Metal boasts as many as 6!_ Watch out Nintendo, big things are happening, big things�"

http://www.joystiq.com/entry/1234000807030948/

There are already 3rd party utilities to get the DS playing online via wireless hotspots... And the DS can easily handle 6 simul players...

Not to mention the online titles for PSP are... less than exciting....

[starman]

Originally posted by goMac:
There are already 3rd party utilities to get the DS playing online via wireless hotspots... And the DS can easily handle 6 simul players...

Not to mention the online titles for PSP are... less than exciting....

Pfft.

I've been playing Ridge Racer and Lumines. Both games are badass.

Let me tell you three things that make the DS look like a piece of sh*t:

The PSP has an analog stick (actually, it's a slider).
The PSP's screen is GORGEOUS.
The PSP has built-in wireless.

When I got my PSP I started poking around the menus. One of them was "Network update". I entered in the security settings for my network and the PSP found the network and came back telling me that I had the latest update. That kicks ass. I won't get my second PSP until 3/24 but Ridge Racer and Lumiens already have wireless head-to-head play along with game sharing.

The analog slider really helps. Have you tried playing racing games on the DS? It's sh*t. Ridge Racer on the PSP is a dream. The analog slider makes driving what it SHOULD be - painless. None of this tapping the D-Pad like the DS.

The screen is just amazing to look at. I encoded some DVDs I had into the PSP format and they look damn good for a handheld.

MP3s play fine. The stupid Mac OS sticks those ._ files in the directory so the PSP finds all these files which it lists as "Corrupted Data", but down the directory list are the files themselves. When will Apple stop putting ._ files EVERYWHERE?

Sandisk memory sticks are coming WAY down in price. I got 2 512 MB sticks for $62 each which is $20 less than what my local BB sells them for. 1GB sticks are VERY hard to find.

So, I've been on Cloud 9 with this PSP. It's a damn fine unit. The Sony guy was right - this DOES take portable gaming out of the ghetto.

Mike

[goMac]

Originally posted by starman:
The analog slider really helps. Have you tried playing racing games on the DS? It's sh*t. Ridge Racer on the PSP is a dream. The analog slider makes driving what it SHOULD be - painless. None of this tapping the D-Pad like the DS.

Never had a problem with the D-Pad on the DS. I was breaking all the records on my friends DS pretty easily.

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Originally posted by goMac:
Never had a problem with the D-Pad on the DS. I was breaking all the records on my friends DS pretty easily.

It is not that is it a problem but the problem is the DS has no anolog so 3D games like Mario 64 are much harder to control, every review of the game has said so.

In the end the DS took a step back in terms of control for trend.

[lavar78]

Originally posted by starman:
The analog slider really helps. Have you tried playing racing games on the DS? It's sh*t. Ridge Racer on the PSP is a dream.

Racing games are sh*t.

So, I've been on Cloud 9 with this PSP. It's a damn fine unit. The Sony guy was right - this DOES take portable gaming out of the ghetto.

What a silly thing to say. There's nothing "ghetto" about the GBA SP (or the DS).

[ajprice]

A friend has a PSP now (imported), from having a quick look and play with the thing in the pub, it was pretty impressive. The screen is very bright and sharp, so bright that I had to back off a bit when the all white Ridge Racers intro screen came on. Control was ok, the analogue stick is a bit awkward being so low down on the front of it. I qualified 3rd on my first play of RR, including a bit of lairy spinning around and not finding the turbo button til lap 3 when i asked him how this other car in front of me just left me for dead. So that means one of 2 things, its a good controller system on the PSP, or RR is easy.

Not so good stuff is the glossy finish on the front facing, why couldnt they give it a matt finish to match the back face? indoor lights reflect like hell off the screen! Its a nice size to hold and it has a big screen, but its a bit big to be called pocket sized.

Would I buy one...maybe, depends on the price here in the UK.

[OwlBoy]

AHHHH THIS THREAD KEEPS BOBING BACK UP! AND THE TITLE ANNOYS THE HECK OUT OF ME! SOMEONE PLEASE FIX IT!!!!!!!

-Owl

[starman]

Originally posted by goMac:
Never had a problem with the D-Pad on the DS. I was breaking all the records on my friends DS pretty easily.

I tried playing Super Mario 64 on the DS. My God it's so TERRIBLE to play it with a D-Pad. If you got good at it, great, but once you try a game that requires an analog control, you'll never go back.

Mike

[starman]

Originally posted by lavar78:
Racing games are sh*t.


What a silly thing to say. There's nothing "ghetto" about the GBA SP (or the DS).

Small screen
No analog control
Limited 3D capability
Limited storage capacity
No WLAN support
No firmware updates

Other reasons:
Movie playback
MP3 playback
Photo playback
No external storage
For the DS specifically - the stylus can get lost

Why don't you try actually using a PSP before saying that everything before it didn't need improving?

Mike

[goMac]

Originally posted by starman:
Small screen
No analog control
Limited 3D capability
Limited storage capacity
No WLAN support
No firmware updates

Other reasons:
Movie playback
MP3 playback
Photo playback
No external storage
For the DS specifically - the stylus can get lost

Why don't you try actually using a PSP before saying that everything before it didn't need improving?

Mike

I said it before and I'll say it again.. This is Game Gear vs. Game Boy all over again.

And you use the boot with the DS. Thats how you don't lose the stylus.

[Busemann]

Originally posted by goMac:
I said it before and I'll say it again.. This is Game Gear vs. Game Boy all over again.

Naa not really. PSP has the marketing machine of Sony behind it.

[starman]

Originally posted by goMac:
I said it before and I'll say it again.. This is Game Gear vs. Game Boy all over again.

And you use the boot with the DS. Thats how you don't lose the stylus.

Except Sega doesn't do a very good job at marketing hardware (cough*Dreamcast*cough).

I had a GG. Loved it, but Nintendo had the better games.

Mike

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Originally posted by starman:
I tried playing Super Mario 64 on the DS. My God it's so TERRIBLE to play it with a D-Pad. If you got good at it, great, but once you try a game that requires an analog control, you'll never go back.

Mike

SAme here, I was totally blown away that Nintendo thought it was "Fixing" the broken game market but making it touch screen. Makes everything much harder.

[ort888]

I played it for 5 minutes in the store and decided that I didn't want it.

Wario Ware is great with the touch pad though. It's a lot of fun. It really makes full use of the DS's functionality and makes for a fun game.

So see, the DS has one good game. Woo!

[starman]

Well here's what I've done with my PSP so far with a single 512 MB stick:

Encoded Star Wars for it (use ffmpegX).
Encoded some misc. videos for it.
Added about 3 or 4 albums in MP3/160.
Put some pics on there of friends and family.

Stupid Mac wants to put ._ files on the Memory Stick. WHEN will Apple DISALLOW this? The files themselves didn't even have a resource fork to begin with! THe PSP said "Corrupted Data" for as many MP3 files as there were in the album, along with the real MP3 files. I had to use Terminal to do a "rm ._*" on the files.

It's too bad the 1GB sticks are so hard to find.

Mike

[lavar78]

Why don't you try actually using a PSP before saying that everything before it didn't need improving?

Because I personally don't see most of those features you listed as improvements. In fact, the PSP is a step back from the GBA SP in many important (to me) ways: it has an unprotected screen, disc-based media, and it's larger.

Originally posted by starman:
I had a GG. Loved it, but Nintendo had the better games.

It still does. Call me when that changes.

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Originally posted by lavar78:
Because I personally don't see most of those features you listed as improvements. In fact, the PSP is a step back from the GBA SP in many important (to me) ways: it has an unprotected screen, disc-based media, and it's larger.

Most people would say the same about the DS as it is larger than the PSP, doesn't have analogue controls and no windscreen.

[starman]

Originally posted by lavar78:
It still does. Call me when that changes.

What's your phone #?

Mike

[Shaddim]

Originally posted by lavar78:
It still does. Call me when that changes.

You're joking? right?

[lavar78]

Originally posted by MacNStein:
You're joking? right?

Not at all. Nintendo still has the best games on the market. Just about all of the DS and PSP games are mediocre and/or uninteresting, but there are loads of great GBA SP games. The GBA SP is far and away the best handheld at the moment for the things I consider important. The DS and PSP need a lot more good/great games to make up for their largest size and shorter battery life. The next-gen handhelds are neck-and-neck IMO, but the GBA SP is far ahead of them.

For my money, the biggest advance in handheld gaming was when the GBA gave way to the SP. The unit was smaller, it came with a rechargeable battery, and you didn't have to worry about scratching up the screen. These new ones are going in the wrong direction. This is almost exactly what killed the PDA market.

[ort888]

I agree. I need to see the PSP up close, but it seems to me like it's too big. The SP is still the king in my book. I like it much better than my DS.

So far there isn't a single PSP game I'm interested in either. Still, they need to put out more original games on the GBA. There is way too much licensed crap targeted at 11 year olds.

[Busemann]

Originally posted by lavar78:
Not at all. Nintendo still has the best games on the market. Just about all of the DS and PSP games are mediocre and/or uninteresting

The PSP isn't out yet, goofy!

The GameBoy has a few years advantage so to speak, but I'm pretty sure we'll see some cool PSP/DS games pretty soon. Have you seen Lumines btw. Really cool PSP game made by the guy behind Rez. The US release-lineup for the PSP is pretty solid IMHO.

[lavar78]

Originally posted by Busemann:
The PSP isn't out yet, goofy!

Yes it is, mickey! Japan counts.

The GameBoy has a few years advantage so to speak, but I'm pretty sure we'll see some cool PSP/DS games pretty soon. Have you seen Lumines btw. Really cool PSP game made by the guy behind Rez. The US release-lineup for the PSP is pretty solid IMHO.

Lumines looks OK. Still, I think the PSP lineup is incredibly weak.

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Originally posted by lavar78:
Still, I think the PSP lineup is incredibly weak.

Opposed to the DS with half the titles and Nintendo selling 1/3 of the games the projected.

uh, ya.