Support NeoGAF

[BeEatNU]

The only solution I can think of that would be the most secure and least exploitable to the extreme is tethering your PSN account to one PSP go and having your UMD conversions transfer only to one system once. Everything other than that is generosity unprecedented.

See I was thinking along those lines too but then UMD conversions you would need hardware (ps3) or maybe some software for PC. Then people would bitch that they will need a PS3 for it, but some type of tethering to PSN would work I suppose.

 

[Byakuya769]

That misses something important.

You're entirely right that retail partners would no longer stock it without a margin, because they no longer get the profits from new owners' game sales.

But those sales don't disappear. New PSP owners are still going to want to buy games. The part that changes is who gets the profits from tag-along game sales to new PSP owners. And Sony has a monopoly on that. They now get all the profit from the sales that were the retailer's margins on the hardware.

So what the markup is really doing is increasing Sony profits (sales to retailers + tag-along game sales), while retailers retain their old profits. If Sony were willing to accept their old profits, they could sell it to retailers for less and retailers would sell it with a margin at the old price, then Sony would make it up with tag-along game sales.

Not to mention video purchases, if this thing actually made downloading from the psstore directly to the GO a reasonable option

... my man.

 

[JaMarco]

250? Sony cant be serious.
I was interested but not for that much fucking money.

 

[ShinoguTakeruKoeru]

See I was thinking along those lines too but then UMD conversions you would need hardware (ps3) or maybe some software for PC. Then people would bitch that they will need a PS3 for it, but some type of tethering to PSN would work I suppose.

The other part of the solution, and the part that would help retailers methinks, is having a UMD converter station that could also serve as a wifi hotspot in that store, and the retailers could also sell PSN cards. The scenario would call for game-specialty outlets but yeah.

 

[Kintaro]

250? Sony cant be serious.
I was interested but not for that much fucking money.

Then buy the cheaper PSP.

 

[BeEatNU]

The other part of the solution, and the part that would help retailers methinks, is having a UMD converter station that could also serve as a wifi hotspot in that store, and the retailers could also sell PSN cards. The scenario would call for game-specialty outlets but yeah.

yeah, we will have to wait and see.

 

[Byakuya769]

I think Sony is on a mission to single handedly prove common economic consensus that demand and value indicate price by proving that it's cost that price solely derives. Cost.. or some whimsical projection of how much more in revenues they'd like to bring in divided by how many GOs they can manufacture :lol

... my man.

 

[H.Cornerstone]

All you people complaining about no Wireless G I think are way over blowing it. The only thing that this will cause it to go slower is when transferring files from your PS3 --> PSP wirelessly (thats only if that is slower than blutooth, and I don't own a PSP to know if you can just do USB. But I know you can view the store via your PC and transfer USB that way so not that big of deal). Beyond that, MOST internet connections are a slower speed than 11mbps per second anyways so you won't really lose that much speed when surfing the web or downloading from the PSN store.

 

[Overture]

I have a GO question that might have been answered in this thread already. Can you back up your games and saves to your computer a la iphone - iTunes?

It would suck if it got lost / memory card broke... and you would lose a lot more than the $250 you initially paid for it.

 

[Rhazer Fusion]

I predicted the PSP Go would be $250 and it is $250. I personally thought since it is smaller, that it would cost more. The PS3 Slim if it really does exist will probably be $400. Maybe even higher and Sony will clear their inventory of older PS3's with a slightly cheaper price perhaps.

 

[Gamecocks625]

for those who played the Go at E3, what were the load times like on LBP and Gran Turismo. Does playing from the internal memory make that big of a difference?

 

[The Faceless Master]

I have a GO question that might have been answered in this thread already. Can you back up your games and saves to your computer a la iphone - iTunes?

It would suck if it got lost / memory card broke... and you would lose a lot more than the $250 you initially paid for it.

the games are tied to your PSN account.

 

[Cruzader]

I have a GO question that might have been answered in this thread already. Can you back up your games and saves to your computer a la iphone - iTunes?

It would suck if it got lost / memory card broke... and you would lose a lot more than the $250 you initially paid for it.

yes backup n save on PC works.(not sure about full PSP games tho)

 

[Evander]

I have a GO question that might have been answered in this thread already. Can you back up your games and saves to your computer a la iphone - iTunes?

It would suck if it got lost / memory card broke... and you would lose a lot more than the $250 you initially paid for it.

You can with the 2000s/3000s, so I'd imagine it will be the same with the Go!

You do it through the same free media manager program that allows you to access the PSN store from your PC.

 

[Evander]

I predicted the PSP Go would be $250 and it is $250. I personally thought since it is smaller, that it would cost more. The PS3 Slim if it really does exist will probably be $400. Maybe even higher and Sony will clear their inventory of older PS3's with a slightly cheaper price perhaps.

The problem is that it is smaller at the expense of significant features.

The 3000, which will be sitting next to it on shelves, can do everything that the Go! can do, but ALSO gives you the option to play UMD games or movies. It still has the same exact downloadable game functionality that the Go! does, and all the same controls.

Sony is asking customers to pay more money in order to get a device that can do less. It's simply not a good idea.



It is also simply too early to lock out physical media; in 2008 33% of music sales were digital, which is a growing trend, but that also means that two thirds of music purchasers STILL insist on buying physical media, despite the fact that digital media is generally cheaper, and allows for more flexibility in purchase choices (buy individual tracks instead of full albums.)

These are two benefits which DON'T exist for digital games, at least not for Sony's. Sony has historically offered their downloadable games which are also stil in print physically at the exact same price as their physical counterparts (Warhawk, GT5, Burnout Paradise) Yes, they have discounted a few out of print PSP games which they've released over PSN, but they've also jacked the price UP on some of those games (Loco Roco costs $23 on PSN, despite the fact that not only was it a Greatest Hits title, but it also originally LAUNCHED at $19.99.)

And there simply is no analog to buying individual song tracks in video games. The closest would be buying individual game levels, but because of the way that games are structured, as opposed to music albums, that simply wouldn't make much sense. There ARE some games which are simply shorter, shallower, and cheaper than so called "full" releases, but these are more comparable to CD-Singles than to individual music tracks. The reason that so few of these exist in pysical media is because of the game industry's irrational fear of releasing cheap games.



The time simply isn't right for Digital-only, and even if it was, the way to go about it is to bring somehting new to the table, not to take a device that is already out there, and just strip it down.

 

[Fafalada]

Haven't seen if this was mentioned yet, but

Game sleep function
PSPgo has unique features such as game sleep function which enables users to operate XMB™ (XrossMediaBar) while pausing gameplay temporarily.

This has been the number 1 missing feature on PSP since the damn thing released - ability to switch to XMB "without" quitting the game you're in (Homebrew called their implementation savestates, but it's way too buggy and unstable to be really useful ).

It's interesting that this would be exclusive to Go though... Speaking of which, people that tried the demos on the floor - could anyone see what's up with the clock/screen-saver thing they showed several times but never explained?

The time simply isn't right for Digital-only

Which is exactly why they aren't doing that. 3k and UMD production would have been discontinued otherwise.

 

[soldat7]

Then buy the cheaper PSP.

Or buy two.

 

[Evander]

Haven't seen if this was mentioned yet, but


This has been the number 1 missing feature on PSP since the damn thing released - ability to switch to XMB "without" quitting the game you're in (Homebrew called their implementation savestates, but it's way too buggy and unstable to be really useful ).

It's interesting that this would be exclusive to Go though... Speaking of which, people that tried the demos on the floor - could anyone see what's up with the clock/screen-saver thing they showed several times but never explained?

There's no good reason for this to be Go! exclusive, other than Sony trying to encourage upgrades.

What exactly are you going to be able to do from the XMB without quitting the game, anyway? I know that on my PS3 the only things I can think of that I do mid-game from the XMB, that don't require quitting, involve either my friends-list or my trophies, which are both things that the PSP doesn't have (yet.)

 

[Calcaneus]

Eh, wasn't going to buy it already. Now I'm definitely not.

 

[chubigans]

There's no good reason for this to be Go! exclusive, other than Sony trying to encourage upgrades.

There is, actually: the old PSP is simply out of memory to do this. In fact, they even talked about removing some features from previous firmwares to get some other features on board, but it was ultimately axed.

 

[Cruzader]

Haven't seen if this was mentioned yet, but


This has been the number 1 missing feature on PSP since the damn thing released - ability to switch to XMB "without" quitting the game you're in (Homebrew called their implementation savestates, but it's way too buggy and unstable to be really useful ).

It's interesting that this would be exclusive to Go though... Speaking of which, people that tried the demos on the floor - could anyone see what's up with the clock/screen-saver thing they showed several times but never explained?


Which is exactly why they aren't doing that. 3k and UMD production would have been discontinued otherwise.

Can anyone at E3 actually ask about the FW? Now its for sure it will be different than 3000. What other new features does it have? Also anyone else hates the damn wifi switch? My psp1000's switch has gotten so sensitive that it gets disconnected randomly with my left hand grip. Its so frustrating. Could anyone check if it gets on your way(grip) playing?

 

[Evander]

There is, actually: the old PSP is simply out of memory to do this. In fact, they even talked about removing some features from previous firmwares to get some other features on board, but it was ultimately axed.

So the Go! has more memory, then?

I haven't seen that mentioned anywhere.

 

[fatigues_gasolini]

I predicted the PSP Go would be $250 and it is $250. I personally thought since it is smaller, that it would cost more. The PS3 Slim if it really does exist will probably be $400. Maybe even higher and Sony will clear their inventory of older PS3's with a slightly cheaper price perhaps.

Why would a slim PS3 cost more? The whole point of a PS3 slim is to reduce component costs. Nobody would pay more for something that does the same in a smaller package. They launched the PStwo at the same price of its fatter bretheren.

 

[Evander]

Why would a slim PS3 cost more? The whole point of a PS3 slim is to reduce component costs. Nobody would pay more for something that does the same in a smaller package. They launched the PStwo at the same price of its fatter bretheren.

Would they pay more for something that does LESS in a smaller package?

Sometimes Sony uses some very strange logic to reach decisions on products and pricing. Personally, I think it comes from internal attempts at forced synergy, where they simply just over-extend what a product is supposed to be doing.

 

[Fafalada]

What exactly are you going to be able to do from the XMB without quitting the game, anyway?

This is not "in-game XMB" - you suspend the game and get Full use of the system. You know, like when you have a non-crappy Cellphone that can resume a game where you left-off after you take a call mid-game.
The likely reason this is exclusive to PSP-GO is that it probably saves-memory state to built-in flash.

Can anyone at E3 actually ask about the FW? Now its for sure it will be different than 3000. What other new features does it have?

Yea I'd like to know that too.

My psp1000's switch has gotten so sensitive that it gets disconnected randomly with my left hand grip. Its so frustrating.

Yea I have the same problem with my 1k. 3k position of WiFi is such a blessing in comparison.

 

[Gamecocks625]

You can see the white one in action here. And it looks gooooood. Definitely sold on the white one...plus it's easier to hide the fingerprints.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C21_yiAjvdA

 

[chubigans]

So the Go! has more memory, then?

I haven't seen that mentioned anywhere.

It obviously has more something in order to do this. Maybe they just rewrote the OS to be less memory-hungry, I dunno.

 

[VGChampion]

I was thinking about how they could let users download games they've already bought in the past, and only one way sounded ideal to me. Ripping the games using PS3 and then allowing a one time conversion could still possibly be used for piracy. It would be nice if they struck a deal with GameStop and a few other companies where you could trade in your physical copy for a download code for the game. It's the only way I could see it being done without piracy potentially happening.

 

[LaserBuddha]

in 2008 33% of music sales were digital, which is a growing trend, but that also means that two thirds of music purchasers STILL insist on buying physical media, despite the fact that digital media is generally cheaper, and allows for more flexibility in purchase choices (buy individual tracks instead of full albums.)

I don't think this data fairly reflects peoples' attachment to physical media. I think the fact of the matter is, once people are aware of and comfortable with digital media, they are of course more likely to pirate it. The 67% of people buying digital are only a percentage of those who prefer it. I think if you could see the percentage of people who download music (paid or not) vs. buying physical media, you would see a MUCH larger bias towards digital. In a hypothetical situation where everyone had to pay for the item, it wouldn't be a 67%/33% split.

 

[Evander]

This is not "in-game XMB" - you suspend the game and get Full use of the system. You know, like when you have a non-crappy Cellphone that can resume a game where you left-off after you take a call mid-game.

Oh, yeah, that would be nice. I hate when I'm in the middle of playing a level of Spyro, and I want to download a new demo off of the PSN, but I know that if I save and quit out I'll have to start back over at the begining of the level.

The likely reason this is exclusive to PSP-GO is that it probably saves-memory state to built-in flash.

I don't see why the older models couldn't simply do this on a conditional basis that there was a memory card inserted with a certain ammount of free space.

It obviously has more something in order to do this. Maybe they just rewrote the OS to be less memory-hungry, I dunno.

Maybe I'm just spoiled by how Microsoft treats Zune firmware, but it seems to me that as long as the hardware of an older model of a device can handle a new software feature, they ought to update it.

This growing trend of obsoleting "durable" goods after only a year on the market is really not a good thing for consumers.

 

[Pureauthor]

I don't think this data fairly reflects peoples' attachment to physical media. I think the fact of the matter is, once people are aware of and comfortable with digital media, they are of course more likely to pirate it. I think if you could see the percentage of people who download music (paid or not) vs. buying physical media, you would see a MUCH larger bias towards digital. In a hypothetical situation where everyone had to pay for the item, it wouldn't be a 67%/33% split.

...Which really isn't making a very good case for DD, when you think about it.

Anyway, price aside, I also don't understand why they redesigned the whole thing and still haven't created something to protect the screen.

 

[Meier]

Then buy the cheaper PSP.

Everyone's going to buy the cheaper PSP though. $250 is an absurd price -- it should have been $200 at most.

My biggest qualm with that price from a consumer perspective is that at least if a system is cheaper, you can potentially balance that out by the fact your games have re-sale value. If you can't sell your games back and you can't use your old games, why the hell would you pay another 70 or 80 bucks for a system over the lower priced version?

Then of course there's the fact that when opened the thing looks absolutely hideous too.

 

[gcubed]

Oh, yeah, that would be nice. I hate when I'm in the middle of playing a level of Spyro, and I want to download a new demo off of the PSN, but I know that if I save and quit out I'll have to start back over at the begining of the level.



I don't see why the older models couldn't simply do this on a conditional basis that there was a memory card inserted with a certain ammount of free space.



Maybe I'm just spoiled by how Microsoft treats Zune firmware, but it seems to me that as long as the hardware of an older model of a device can handle a new software feature, they ought to update it.

This growing trend of obsoleting "durable" goods after only a year on the market is really not a good thing for consumers.

built in memory has much higher transfer speeds, maybe that allows them to do the state saving at a much faster and more manageable time frame?

 

[Oni Jazar]

So other then g35twinturbo, no one else asked Sony about a UMD replacement system?

Why the hell is no one asking this question?

 

[LaserBuddha]

...Which really isn't making a very good case for DD, when you think about it.

I think it does. We are talking about a (theoretically) closed system where if you want to participate, you have to pony up the cash. Even when it is inevitably cracked, its not going to be as easy or common as music. The point is, easy pirating pollutes the data when examining DD vs. physical. Sure there will be people who say "Well, if i cant pirate it i'd rather have the physical copy" but i think that is far outwieghed by those pirates who will just pay for the download.

 

[Evander]

I don't think this data fairly reflects peoples' attachment to physical media. I think the fact of the matter is, once people are aware of and comfortable with digital media, they are of course more likely to pirate it. I think if you could see the percentage of people who download music (paid or not) vs. buying physical media, you would see a MUCH larger bias towards digital. In a hypothetical situation where everyone had to pay for the item, it wouldn't be a 67%/33% split.

And we're also leaving out the kids who shoplift CDs from stores.



On a serious note, though, Pirates are completely irrelevant here. I'm talking about what drives sales, and the fact is, regardless of whether some one steals a digital copy or a physical copy, theft doesn't count as a sale.

 

[Cruzader]

Yea I have the same problem with my 1k. 3k position of WiFi is such a blessing in comparison.

I'm worried that PSPgo will have the same fate since the Sony put the damn switch on the left hand side AGAIN! WTF it was perfect on PSP3000!(out of the way)

Seriously though, the lack of details is more irritating then all the BS talk about DD only games and price BS ppls keep talking about.

 

[Evander]

I think it does. We are talking about a (theoretically) closed system where if you want to participate, you have to pony up the cash. Even when it is inevitably cracked, its not going to be as easy or common as music. The point is, easy pirating pollutes the data when examining DD vs. physical. Sure there will be people who say "Well, if i cant pirate it i'd rather have the physical copy" but i think that is far outwieghed by those pirates who will just pay for the download.

It's definitely a possibility, but there's no data to suggest this, so Sony banking on that idea would be a bad business move, IMO.

You're also forgetting that this system isn't all that closed. PSP 2000s and 1000s that are hackable still exist in the second hand market.

 

[Outcast2004]

The problem is that it is smaller at the expense of significant features.

The 3000, which will be sitting next to it on shelves, can do everything that the Go! can do, but ALSO gives you the option to play UMD games or movies. It still has the same exact downloadable game functionality that the Go! does, and all the same controls.

Sony is asking customers to pay more money in order to get a device that can do less. It's simply not a good idea.



It is also simply too early to lock out physical media; in 2008 33% of music sales were digital, which is a growing trend, but that also means that two thirds of music purchasers STILL insist on buying physical media, despite the fact that digital media is generally cheaper, and allows for more flexibility in purchase choices (buy individual tracks instead of full albums.)

These are two benefits which DON'T exist for digital games, at least not for Sony's. Sony has historically offered their downloadable games which are also stil in print physically at the exact same price as their physical counterparts (Warhawk, GT5, Burnout Paradise) Yes, they have discounted a few out of print PSP games which they've released over PSN, but they've also jacked the price UP on some of those games (Loco Roco costs $23 on PSN, despite the fact that not only was it a Greatest Hits title, but it also originally LAUNCHED at $19.99.)

And there simply is no analog to buying individual song tracks in video games. The closest would be buying individual game levels, but because of the way that games are structured, as opposed to music albums, that simply wouldn't make much sense. There ARE some games which are simply shorter, shallower, and cheaper than so called "full" releases, but these are more comparable to CD-Singles than to individual music tracks. The reason that so few of these exist in pysical media is because of the game industry's irrational fear of releasing cheap games.



The time simply isn't right for Digital-only, and even if it was, the way to go about it is to bring somehting new to the table, not to take a device that is already out there, and just strip it down.

....checkmate

 

[gcubed]

i would buy this day 1 for 199, i am in that smaller percentage and would love to have all my media in memory, especially for a portable system, but i just cant see 249... if it comes bundled with GT:M and another 16gb card, then maybe i can talk myself into it, but 249 for a core? fuck that

 

[pulga]

Sent to die. Stupid Sony.

 

[jmdajr]

So how does this device help fight their piracy problems?
Will it be harder to hack now?

 

[NomarTyme]

i would buy this day 1 for 199, i am in that smaller percentage and would love to have all my media in memory, especially for a portable system, but i just cant see 249... if it comes bundled with GT:M and another 16gb card, then maybe i can talk myself into it, but 249 for a core? fuck that

Just buy a PSP 3000 instead.

 

[LaserBuddha]

And we're also leaving out the kids who shoplift CDs from stores.

So small in comparison as to be inconsequential (And I'll even throw in bootleg CD's as counting towards the physical side and stand by that statement).

On a serious note, though, Pirates are completely irrelevant here. I'm talking about what drives sales, and the fact is, regardless of whether some one steals a digital copy or a physical copy, theft doesn't count as a sale.

What will drive sales though is people's preference, not sales figures for music. You cited the percentage of physical media purchases vs. digital purchases, and that data is useless here with how easily the digital camp can get it without a purchase.

I think what you're getting at is that these pirates prefer digital simply because its the easiest way to get it for free, and free is all that matters to them. I would certainly agree there is a segment that sees it this way, I feel that many, many more will just go with whats most convenient from their previous experience: downloads.

 

[LaserBuddha]

It's definitely a possibility, but there's no data to suggest this, so Sony banking on that idea would be a bad business move, IMO.

You're also forgetting that this system isn't all that closed. PSP 2000s and 1000s that are hackable still exist in the second hand market.

I know its not closed, which is why I said it would be inevitably cracked. But its a different beast than simply searching Pirate Bay for a CD you want.

 

[gcubed]

Just buy a PSP 3000 instead.

i have a 2000 and i take it constantly with me when i travel for work, which is a lot... its still slightly too big for me when i travel. I guess i will benefit from the fact that they will be releasing all games as DD now also, i just will stop buying UMDs.

Maybe if this device offered some type of screen protection built in that allowed me to put it in my pocket without a case, i would be more inclined to stretch the extra 50

 

[Jack Random]

Sign me up for one. All digital download = awesome.

There's nothing stopping you from doing digital downloads on a 1000, 2000, or 3000, minus perhaps being short cash from spending $250 on five year old technology.

 

[thaOwner]

You can see the white one in action here. And it looks gooooood. Definitely sold on the white one...plus it's easier to hide the fingerprints.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C21_yiAjvdA

Fuck the haters man. This is some sexy piece of hardware. I've most defintely warmed up to it since its initial unveiling which did a lot of harm to the system than good. $200 was how much I was gonna spend on the system but damn, I don't mind paying $249 after all that I've seen of it. Shit is sexy.

Question: With the M2 Micro card, will I be able to upgrade this to 32GB and possibly even more in the future ?

 

[Evander]

I know its not closed, which is why I said it would be inevitably cracked. But its a different beast than simply searching Pirate Bay for a CD you want.

But the point is, the software is already cracked (to my understanding, if I'm wrong about PSN games existing in pirated formats, I apologize) and devices already exist that can run this cracked software.

So bringing out a new device that can't run the pirated stuff makes no difference, because it doesn't make those hacked devices suddenly disappear from existence.

 

[NomarTyme]

i have a 2000 and i take it constantly with me when i travel for work, which is a lot... its still slightly too big for me when i travel. I guess i will benefit from the fact that they will be releasing all games as DD now also, i just will stop buying UMDs.

Maybe if this device offered some type of screen protection built in that allowed me to put it in my pocket without a case, i would be more inclined to stretch the extra 50

Well they're going to start doing both UMD and DD at the same time. You just need a bigger memory stick for your PSP 2000. Should help you without carrying UMDs around. I don't really think you need the PSPGo! if you like the 2000.