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mitchell_pgh · Sep 14, 2006, 04:04 PM

::maroma:: got me thinking about my PSP with this comment:

Originally Posted by ::maroma::

The PSP is one example. Its a great device, in that it does a ton of different things. But it doesn't to it well.

I agree with that statement. I own a PSP and am generally unhappy with the unit. I really think if Sony cared, they could have made it an amazing piece of hardware and a profit center as well. For starters, they should have built in an email, IM and other cool little services into the unit from day one. The fact that there isn't an im feature makes me scratch my head.

They also shouldn't have kicked out the home brew people. By implementing extra security in 2.70+, they really killed the platform.

I'm interested to hear what other PSP users think.

Landos Mustache · Sep 14, 2006, 04:10 PM

Failed? It is selling pretty damn well for a company that had no handheld experience.

I really like my PSP. I play games on it more than my DS as the DS ones are too easy and don't prove much of a challenge.

I also use the PSP to convert DVD's of TV shows to watch on the subway.

Yes there was a game drought but that seems to be clearing up.. in the past month I got 2 awesome praised games for it and am having a ball.

vmarks · Sep 14, 2006, 04:13 PM

See the sony Mylo.

Sony - mylo™

Skype, IM, gmail, web.
mpeg4 movies.

My opinion is that it could use more storage, but that it's more useful to me than a PSP is.

UMD is dead. The PSP web browser was horrible for text entry.

mitchell_pgh · Sep 14, 2006, 04:20 PM

Originally Posted by Landos Mustache

Failed? It is selling pretty damn well for a company that had no handheld experience.

I really like my PSP. I play games on it more than my DS as the DS ones are too easy and don't prove much of a challenge.

I also use the PSP to convert DVD's of TV shows to watch on the subway.

Yes there was a game drought but that seems to be clearing up.. in the past month I got 2 awesome praised games for it and am having a ball.

Would you recommend a few games?

Also, are you using a Mac program to manage your movies (to encode them?)

I find the glare of the PSP screen to be a bit of an issue, but am guessing it would be the same on any such device. I can't wait for the fall when it's dark on the ride in and out to see if the PSP becomes more valuable to me. I'm not hating it, I'm just a little disappointed I guess. I feel they could have taken it to the next level with some built in coolness.

Landos Mustache · 04:39 PM

Originally Posted by mitchell_pgh

Would you recommend a few games?

Also, are you using a Mac program to manage your movies (to encode them?)

Yup.. The new Ultimate Ghosts 'N Goblins and definitely Loco Roco.

Popcorn 2 will convert just about any video/dvd into PSP format, size etc. There are also cheaper shareware apps that allow you do do that plus much more.

Nullriver Software ~ Products

iPSP - RnSK Softronics

mitchell_pgh · Sep 14, 2006, 04:28 PM

Originally Posted by vmarks

UMD is dead.

Was UMD ever alive? Another cool technology that died because of the Sony Syndrome. Oh well.

Landos Mustache · Sep 14, 2006, 04:31 PM

Originally Posted by mitchell_pgh

Was UMD ever alive? Another cool technology that died because of the Sony Syndrome. Oh well.

UMD as a movie is dead but who cares, you can watch movies without it.

I like UMD as games like the two I mentioned above don't have more than 2 second load times.

waxcrash · Sep 14, 2006, 04:38 PM

I have been using my PSP on a regular basis since its release. I use it to play games, watch TV and movies.

There are some really good games. I recommend and own:

WipEout Pure
Lumines
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee
Ridge Racer
Madden '06
Field Commander
Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror
Tekken: Dark Resurrection
MLB '06: The Show
Ultimate Ghosts 'N Goblins

I use HandBrake to rip DVDs and have an eyeTV 200 to record TV shows. I have both a 1GB and a 2GB memory card to store all my video.

I don't listen to MP3s or view photos on my PSP, that's what my iPod is for.

My PSP has made all my trips and flights very enjoyable.

nonhuman · Sep 14, 2006, 04:45 PM

The PSP didn't completely fail, someone's coming by in about an hour to buy mine (I got it as a Christmas gift, go 100% profit!).

itai195 · Sep 14, 2006, 04:47 PM

Why did the PSP fail? There's a simple answer: the game library is awful. There's the inevitable consequence: it crashed and burned in Japan. Plus, the multimedia features are too weak to save it in the US/Europe.

Even many of the games that are good do not work well as portable games. Wipeout Pure simply requires too much focus to work well portably. I adored the game and played the heck out of it, but only at home when I could concentrate.

I admit I was dead wrong about the PSP, I thought it would wipe the floor with DS. I sold my PSP last week, after holding onto it for a year and a half.

porieux · 02:14 AM

...

::maroma:: · Sep 14, 2006, 04:52 PM

I should clarify that when I made that statement I was comparing the PSP to the iPod. I know they are 2 different devices, but I feel that Sony was going for the same demographic as Apple.

But I still think that the PSP hasn't done nearly what it could have in terms of sales. And I think its because it isn't nearly as elegant to use as an iPod. Apples biggest strength is understanding that ease of use, user friendliness, and integration with its other products is the most important thing when it comes to designing a device. Its something that can't be quantified, but the end user knows it when he/she experiences it. Sony, Microsoft, Creative, etc. don't get that concept. Instead they try to shove as many features and options as they can into their device, and then they wonder why people aren't buying them.

Landos Mustache · Sep 14, 2006, 04:55 PM

Originally Posted by ::maroma::

But I still think that the PSP hasn't done nearly what it could have in terms of sales. And I think its because it isn't nearly as elegant to use as an iPod. Apples biggest strength is understanding that ease of use, user friendliness, and integration with its other products is the most important thing when it comes to designing a device.

I don't think Sony ever really wanted to sell the PSP as an iPod alternative. I mean for the cost of the memory stick alone you can get a nano that is better suited to the task. Sony also sells it own media players.

They want it as a handheld multimedia system and I think it succeeded at that. I play my DS thinking it is too simple and limited.

itai195 · 05:10 PM

Originally Posted by ::maroma::

I should clarify that when I made that statement I was comparing the PSP to the iPod. I know they are 2 different devices, but I feel that Sony was going for the same demographic as Apple.

But I still think that the PSP hasn't done nearly what it could have in terms of sales. And I think its because it isn't nearly as elegant to use as an iPod.

Lets put it this way... Nobody buys an iPod for the games. It plays some games, but nobody buys it for that. Apple markets and sells it as a music/video player.

The PSP is, in almost every way, designed to be a game machine. It plays music/video, but that's an afterthought. It's no surprise that:

(a) People who bought it for music/video are unhappy with it because it's really designed for games. Thus, as you point out, the interface sucks

(b) People who bought it to play games are unhappy with it because, not only does the game library stink, they paid a premium for the hardware due to the multimedia features

I'd think anybody who bought an iPod for the games would be similarly disillusioned. But at least the iPod is a great music player.

Originally Posted by Landos Mustache

I play my DS thinking it is too simple and limited.

I don't mind as long as it does what it's meant to do well.

porieux · 02:14 AM

...

ort888 · Sep 14, 2006, 05:09 PM

I think it's lagging behind the DS because of the games. The DS game library is tailor made to be portable, quick and easy. Most PSP games are shrunk down console games.

People like to play a different type of game when they are on the go.

lavar78 · Sep 14, 2006, 07:07 PM

Originally Posted by ort888

I think it's lagging behind the DS because of the games. The DS game library is tailor made to be portable, quick and easy. Most PSP games are shrunk down console games.

People like to play a different type of game when they are on the go.

That is yours truly in a nutshell. The PSP was never portable enough for me to even consider.

starman · Sep 14, 2006, 08:25 PM

Originally Posted by itai195

Why did the PSP fail? There's a simple answer: the game library is awful.

LOL

Right...and what are you basing this on? Reviews? Here are some.

http://psp.ign.com/index/reviews.htm...ort.order=desc

Here are some DS reviews. A nice, fat GAP in the high 8 range vs. the PSP.

http://ds.ign.com/index/reviews.html...ort.order=desc

imitchellg5 · Sep 14, 2006, 08:32 PM

I love my PSP to death. It is amazing, especially for Sony's first portable console. I don't think it is a failure at all. I reply to threads sometimes from it, I can type pretty fast on it.

mitchell_pgh · Sep 14, 2006, 08:56 PM

Perhaps "fail" is too strong of a word. I'm just a little disappointed with what it offers. I think it could be SO much more, but they don't seem to really be serious about the device. They should have come out with a number of applications built in and they just aren't there.

I don't think it was ever meant to be an iPod alternative. It's obviously designed as a game player, and does rather well as a video player as well.

imitchellg5 · Sep 14, 2006, 09:26 PM

It could have been a lot more, I think you're right. But as a game and movie machine, it is great. Photos and Internet is somewhere where it could be improved a lot, but I am sure whatever replaces the PSP will be better at these. Remember, the PSP was originally designed just to play games over the internet, not browse the internet.

Hawkeye_a · 09:51 PM

The way i figure it.... i havent even seen too many people playing the GBA/PSP/DS "portably" to begin with...sure you see the odd person in an airport or on the plane with it...the fact is most people play these things indoors.....so that begs the question..... if u have a PS2 and PSP.... why would you buy a PSP game to play on a small screen, when u could get the PS2 version to play on your TV?
I never invested in a GameBoy/gameGear/etc...cause i could play better looking games(at the time) on my TV, so portables really didnt bring anything "more"/"different" to the table. I got the DS, cause u just cant find those type of games for a console system (yet)..... so whether im at home or in a plane its something different....and imo, better suited for a handheld gaming system.....in all honesty..playing brain age, makes me beg the question..... why hadnt a gaming company recognized the potential for a touch screen earlier ?....but thats just me

In my opinion.... Sony's just releasing WAY too many gadgets that try and do too many thins, thus canabalizing on each other's sales....thats not a good strategy when ur launching a console cause support depends on adoption rates. If sony had focused on a single(or even 2) device strategy, i think they could have made it..... If i were in charge of Sony....
1. PSP for multimedia n games
2. cell phone+PDA for communicatios

imitchellg5 · Sep 14, 2006, 09:47 PM

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a

The way i figure it.... i havent even seen too many people playing the GBA/PSP/DS "portably" to begin with...sure you see the odd person in an airport or on the plane with it...the fact is most people play these things indoors.....so that begs the question..... if u have a PS2 and PSP.... why would you buy a PSP game to play on a small screen, when u could get the PS2 version to play on your TV?
I never invested in a GameBoy/gameGear/etc...cause i could play better looking games(at the time) on my TV, so portables really didnt bring anything "more"/"different" to the table. I got the DS, cause u just cant find those type of games for a console system (yet)..... so whether im at home or in a plane its something different....and imo, better suited for a handheld gaming system.....in all honesty..playing brain age, makes me beg the question..... why hadnt a gaming company recognized the potential for a touch screen earlier ?....but thats just me

I use my PSP because I travel so often. I would be one of those people playing in the airport or on airplanes. It keeps me busy, plus it is smaller than a PowerBook.

porieux · 02:13 AM

...

Hawkeye_a · Sep 14, 2006, 10:04 PM

Originally Posted by imitchellg5

I use my PSP because I travel so often. I would be one of those people playing in the airport or on airplanes. It keeps me busy, plus it is smaller than a PowerBook.

Totally understand. but how many people travel as often as you ? how many of those people play video games ? out of those, how many are willing to pay for a PSP ?

I travel 2-3 times a year....and it's gotten to the point where in-flight entertainment is more than adequat, and most people prefer reading on flights (personal observation)...and for their own music/movies..we have iPods.

Seems like the PSP is cornered into a tight niche here, which could explain it's performance in the market.

waxcrash · Sep 14, 2006, 10:25 PM

I think the camera and GPS on the PSP is crazy.

itai195 · 10:45 PM

Originally Posted by starman

LOL

Right...and what are you basing this on? Reviews? Here are some.

No, I don't care about reviews. I'm basing it on the library of games available for the system, which by and large is disappointing. Admittedly there has been some improvement lately, but nothing I'm really interested in.

And by the way, those are just reviews for recent games. Note that the PSP list includes a graphic novel (hardly a game), several ports of PS1/2 games, and an Advance Wars clone. Not particularly inspiring. I wanted it to succeed as much as anyone else, but I haven't even turned mine on since Daxter (which wasn't as good as the reviews).

itai195 · 10:46 PM

Originally Posted by imitchellg5

Remember, the PSP was originally designed just to play games over the internet, not browse the internet.

Okay, and how many good games does it play over the Internet?

Not that the DS has a lot either, which is also disappointing

starman · Sep 14, 2006, 10:44 PM

Originally Posted by itai195

No, I don't care about reviews. I'm basing it on the library of games available for the system, which by and large is disappointing.

And by the way, those are just reviews for recent games. Note that the PSP list includes a graphic novel (hardly a game), several ports of PS1/2 games, and an Advance Wars clone. Not particularly inspiring. I wanted it to succeed as much as anyone else, but I haven't even turned mine on since Daxter (which wasn't as good as the reviews).

Ok, you explain to me how the titles are disappointing, but get higher marks than the DS. I don't get it. What curve are you grading on?

goMac · Sep 14, 2006, 10:45 PM

Originally Posted by ort888

I think it's lagging behind the DS because of the games. The DS game library is tailor made to be portable, quick and easy. Most PSP games are shrunk down console games.

People like to play a different type of game when they are on the go.

To be fair, I don't play my DS that often either. I always thought about buying a PSP just cause, but if the DS's game library isn't enough to keep me interested, there certainly is no way I'm buying a PSP.

I had a friend who was like "OMG PSP is so awesome it has STAR WARS BATTLEGROUNDS." But spend 3 minutes with that game and you realize it's a shadow of it's PC cousin and isn't really worth playing.

mitchell_pgh · Sep 14, 2006, 10:46 PM

Also, I feel like they are taking FOREVER to get GPS working on the system.

I keep seeing cool programs for it, but they are all hombrew, and it's just not cool that Sony keeps locking them out.

itai195 · Sep 14, 2006, 10:47 PM

Originally Posted by starman

Ok, you explain to me how the titles are disappointing, but get higher marks than the DS. I don't get it. What curve are you grading on?

I already explained it in my previous post. Here it is in a nutshell:

(A) That list included several ports, clones, and a graphic novel for PSP
(B) That list was only very recent games, it didn't include any of the great stuff on DS that came out last year
(C) Reviews don't matter anyway

starman · Sep 14, 2006, 10:48 PM

Originally Posted by itai195

I already explained it in my previous post, reread.

I read it. You haven't yet DEFINED what you mean. Are you looking for porn games? Driving games? Tic tac toe? What defines "disappointing"? The reviewers don't see to think so.

itai195 · 04:24 AM

Edited my post to make it clearer. Point is, ultimately it does come down to personal taste. A lot of the stuff on PSP is just unappealing and I don't care what reviewers say about it. I must be popular because the rest of the market largely seems to agree

Admittedly PSP has had some more decent games coming out lately, but it may be too little too late. I mean, Ultimate Ghosts 'N Goblins looks interesting but doesn't make me want to run out to Best Buy.

mitchell_pgh · Sep 14, 2006, 11:12 PM

To be honest, I didn't even consider the DS. Of the handful of things I like about the PSP, the DS dose none of them... or none of them well.

Sep 15, 2006, 06:28 AM

Oh, crap. Another video game thread...

I bought a PSP on launch day with Wipeout. Because of the ergonomics, I couldn't control with the joystick AND use the left shoulder button (left air brake in game) without muscle wrenching pain rendering the game utterly useless and unplayable. Oh, well.

I purchased a lot of games thereafter and they all sucked - the exact titles escape me but it was pretty much all of them that were released within the first 4 months or so. They weren't fun. They took WAY too long to load. The ergonomics were always a problem for me.

1GB memory cards at that time weren't prevalent and impossible to find. There goes the touted multi-media features. You can only watch the bundled Spiderman UMD so many times.

Seeing that I had invested all of this money in what I thought was a killer system but didn't use, I figured to box it all up and take it to EBGames. Surely, since it was a new system I would get a good trade-in. Wrong. Every games store in the area had mountains of used PSPs from people doing the same thing. Guess I wasn't the only one who hated the thing. And it wasn't just a dislike and a "Meh." it was a deep distaste - nay, resentment - that I had purchased such a black, rectangular hunk of finger-crippling, slow-loading, useless piece of gear. And I wasn't alone with those feelings from talking to others - even American gemu otaku types that wear Final Fantasy tee shirts that live and die with their games.

With all the new add-ons, it's becoming quite a Frankenstein of a device. Does too much and doesn't do any of them very good.

Hawkeye_a · Sep 15, 2006, 08:05 AM

"Frankenstein of a device"... im gonna steal that quote when referring to the PSP.

Sep 15, 2006, 08:09 AM

Damn! I knew I should of copyrighted that!!

I'm actually pictuing those L337 case modders making a green PSP now.

Landos Mustache · Sep 15, 2006, 10:20 AM

Originally Posted by screamingFit

Oh, crap. Another video game thread...

I bought a PSP on launch day with Wipeout. Because of the ergonomics, I couldn't control with the joystick AND use the left shoulder button (left air brake in game) without muscle wrenching pain rendering the game utterly useless and unplayable. Oh, well.

I purchased a lot of games thereafter and they all sucked - the exact titles escape me but it was pretty much all of them that were released within the first 4 months or so. They weren't fun. They took WAY too long to load. The ergonomics were always a problem for me.

In the beginning that was true. The DS also went though a major games drought where it took 6 months before a game used WiFi or was even worth buying.

The PSP had some good games at launch with Wifi and downloadable content. After that it went through a major games drought but things are majority picking up over the past few months. Not to mention pretty much ALL PS1 games will be downloadable and playable on the device before the end of the year.

The homebrew scene also looooooves the PSP because they hack it do do all sorts of nifty game related stuff with either pirating games or just playing classics that you download from the net.

I think Sony is doing a good job as best they can with it but it is really up to 3rd parties to start making games that aren't just PS2 ports.

I'm really really happy with how sony always is coming out with ROM updates that adds cool new things like location free TV, RSS streams, browser etc. My PSP much more now then when sony first sold it to me and there is plenty more to come...

ort888 · Sep 15, 2006, 10:24 AM

I want a PSP but I'm waiting on a price drop. $150 is my breaking point.

Landos Mustache · Sep 15, 2006, 10:27 AM

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a

"Frankenstein of a device"... im gonna steal that quote when referring to the PSP.

Common man, you know very well that this is frankenstein DS. Now start adding things to make it 1/8 of what the PSP can do like a TV viewer, separate browser cart, MP3 player etc and you got something 10x worse.

I still marvel how the hell the PSP does everything it does in such a small attractive looking package with giant screen.

mitchell_pgh · Sep 15, 2006, 11:19 AM

Originally Posted by Landos Mustache

I still marvel how the hell the PSP does everything it does in such a small attractive looking package with giant screen.

I don't understand why the DS people seem obsessed with bad mouthing the PSP. Like I've said, I wouldn't even have considered the DS. We really are comparing apples and oranges with the PSP and DS regarding overall functionality.

One of my primary uses for the PSP is to watch movies, and it does that VERY well. I can hold around 3 very high quality movies on my PSP or about 7-13 TV shows. I find the navigation very intuitive.

The UMD movie idea is just bad... in fact, I wish they would have made the drive removable so that cool add on items would have been able to be connected without adding to the overall size of the unit (GPS, additional MS slots, whatever).

The screen is simply gorgeous!

Landos Mustache · Sep 15, 2006, 11:22 AM

Originally Posted by mitchell_pgh

The UMD movie idea is just bad... in fact, I wish they would have made the drive removable so that cool add on items would have been able to be connected without adding to the overall size of the unit (GPS, additional MS slots, whatever).

I don't have a problem with UMD movies... just the price they were sold at.

The quality is really good and I never watch extras anyway. They also should have come out with a device so you can watch them on your TV.

Sep 15, 2006, 11:36 AM

When it comes down to it, really, the DS and PSP are two totally different type of portable units. I really don't think we can argue about which is better. It's like comparing a PalmPilot to an iPod. You can draw comparisons but they're different types of machines in the end.

I wanted a portable device to play games and not squint at some media. The PSP failed me on that - the DS has succeeded for me with the types of games I like to play. Granted, it's not a huge library on the DS that I dig but I've gotten 100x the hours of use out of it than my old PSP.

Both have their strengths, both have their weaknesses.

Hawkeye_a · Sep 15, 2006, 12:00 PM

Alright, ill simplify it. Judge em by the lowest common denominator..... gaming.

waxcrash · Sep 15, 2006, 12:00 PM

Originally Posted by Landos Mustache

I don't have a problem with UMD movies... just the price they were sold at.

I can't agree more. The price is what killed them. When the DVD is cheaper and you can rip it, you'd have to be an idiot to buy a UMD movie. The executives at Sony who came up with the ridiculous UMD movie pricing need to be slapped with a rubber hose.

Landos Mustache · Sep 15, 2006, 12:11 PM

Originally Posted by waxcrash

I can't agree more. The price is what killed them. When the DVD is cheaper and you can rip it, you'd have to be an idiot to buy a UMD movie. The executives at Sony who came up with the ridiculous UMD movie pricing need to be slapped with a rubber hose.

In the end I think they were offering DVD/UMD combo's which is great.

Hawkeye_a · Sep 15, 2006, 12:18 PM

Originally Posted by Landos Mustache

In the end I think they were offering DVD/UMD combo's which is great.

For the price of a regular DVD ? if they do that with BluRay, that might help...if not (people still dont buy/keep their PSPs) ...what the hell would you do with the UMD discs ? you cant even use em as coasters. lol

itai195 · Sep 15, 2006, 12:23 PM

Originally Posted by mitchell_pgh

I don't understand why the DS people seem obsessed with bad mouthing the PSP. Like I've said, I wouldn't even have considered the DS. We really are comparing apples and oranges with the PSP and DS regarding overall functionality.

Maybe it's because the main purpose of both is gaming? Anyway, PSP people are just as obsessed with badmouthing the DS

starman · Sep 15, 2006, 12:24 PM

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a

Alright, ill simplify it. Judge em by the lowest common denominator..... gaming.

I already posted how IGN.com posted higher reviews for more games for the PSP.

Sorry.