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[timlot]

http://www.gamepro.com/sony/psp/hardware/features/40231.shtml

 

[Amir0x]

Gamepro: Sony has said it will prepare 200,000 units for launch and 100,000 units per week for the next three weeks. What are your production plans for next year and the launches in the U.S. and Europe?

Masa Chatani: It's already ramping to prepare for Europe, U.S. and other territories and we already announced we plan to launch in U.S. and Europe by the end of our fiscal year, which is at the end of March, so we are trying to achieve that schedule right now.



Sounds like it's pretty much guaranteed we'll see a March launch in US/Euro.

 

[Deg]

January could be likely. They probably plan to shock people? January is a slow month for sales however.

 

[Spiritreaver]

Gamepro: Sony has said it will prepare 200,000 units for launch and 100,000 units per week for the next three weeks. What are your production plans for next year and the launches in the U.S. and Europe?

Masa Chatani: It's already ramping to prepare for Europe, U.S. and other territories and we already announced we plan to launch in U.S. and Europe by the end of our fiscal year, which is at the end of March, so we are trying to achieve that schedule right now.



Sounds like it's pretty much guaranteed we'll see a March launch in US/Euro.

It better be just that. Talk about the perfect birthday gift for me. Nice read though, no real surprises for me.

 

[Amir0x]

GP: How about peripherals?

MC: We showed some prototypes at E3. A USB camera, GPS (global positioning system), a telephone adapter and a microphone headset. None of them are announced yet. Some are under development. We are planning to have a PSP version of an EyeToy-like application.

EyeToy for PSP...blaaaah

 

[Bishman]

GP: Nintendo talks about "gamer-drift" and says the game software market is decreasing as people move away from games to other forms of entertainment. What's your view?

MC: It might be a macro-issue because the number of young people is decreasing. When we take a train, people are playing games on cell phones. In that sense, the audience may be increasing because they play games if they have appropriate product. So I think we just didn't have the appropriate product to satisfy them.

Two different opinions, who is right, Sony or Nintendo?

 

[Amir0x]

I'd say it's pretty clearly Sony on that issue. The industry has continued growing nearly every year for games so I don't think it's an issue of people moving away to other forms of entertainment.

 

[Spike]

Two different opinions, who is right, Sony or Nintendo?

When I read that quote, it sounds to me like he's taking a potshot at the GB line saying that it isn't the appropriate product.

 

[Die Squirrel Die]

I'd say it's pretty clearly Sony on that issue. The industry has continued growing nearly every year for games so I don't think it's an issue of people moving away to other forms of entertainment.

Yeah. Nintendo's whole 'the market is shrinking, people are flocking away from games', has always rung a bit false. For one it doesn't apply to the US and Europe where the market continues to grow, and how much it applies to the Japanese market is debatable.

 

[Deg]

The guy is wrong however as GBA is growing. PS2 sales have infact slowed. The DS looks like its in dead heat with PSP.

 

[doncale]

PSP forces have landed

the invasion has begun :lol

 

[TTP]

GS: Any final thoughts and hopes for the future?

MC: First thing is that we want to make the PSP the most popular product in mobile entertainment. [People sometimes use the same name to refer to all game machines regardless of brand or manufacturer.] Currently game machines are called PlayStation or in Japan the "presstah." I want to make PSP the name in mobile games and mobile entertainment in a few years, so that everyone will use the PSP as their primary device for mobile entertainment.

http://hardware.gamespot.com/Story-ST-11721-1346-4-6-x

 

[mrklaw]

How do you have an eye-toy type game? If you are holding the thing, it'll move when you move, so your head will always remain in the same place relative to the console?

I guess it'd be pretty cool for wifi eye toy chat though.

 

[radioheadrule83]

Two different opinions, who is right, Sony or Nintendo?

Both I think. I was surprised to read he replied semi-impartially with a well considered answer.

The fact he talks about cell phones gaining ground on the normal games industry would probably have Nintendo agreeing.

Simple cell phone games are a good argument for DS' existence. I'm glad to see Sony and Nintendo on the same page.

 

[-SRV-]

Both I think. I was surprised to read he replied semi-impartially with a well considered answer.

The fact he talks about cell phones gaining ground on the normal games industry would probably have Nintendo agreeing.

Simple cell phone games are a good argument for DS' existence. I'm glad to see Sony and Nintendo on the same page.

IAWTP mostly. But DS is capable of "complex" games, as the PSP is capable of "simple" games.

Not related to your post: I think that the new handhelds are gonna hurt consoles, especially Xenon. I'm betting both PSP and DS offer functional hook up with the next consoles. Xenon won't have that. MS has LOTS of momentum with Halo2, but the buzz around DS and PSP, I predict, will drown out Xenon hype. I'm hoping Xenon will be sucessful, but handhelds are "It". This makes me think that MS should approach Nintendo again and offer profit margins similar to what it gets on the GCN, with the caveat that the DS and GBA successor can have REAL functional conectivity with the Xenon. Also, Bungie and Rare provide DS support as part of the deal. Win-win for MS and Nintendo.

 

[kaching]

How do you have an eye-toy type game? If you are holding the thing, it'll move when you move, so your head will always remain in the same place relative to the console?

I guess it'd be pretty cool for wifi eye toy chat though.

Facial/expression recognition? Track eye movement? Both have had significant research into them and there's been some practical application of both. Doesn't the latest Aibo model have some basic facial recognition ability?

If they could incorporate eye movement tracking, that could potentially be used as a means of interface navigation, or possibly the equivalent of freelook in a 1st person game...maybe. Facial expressions could influence character interactions, or map them to your character avatar's face in a MMORPG. Might all be too complex to pull off with handheld hardware, but it'd be interesting to see someone try.