Topic: Sony's PSP Strikes in March

[Jonnyboy117]

Nintendo's portable dominance will meet its greatest challenge yet.  What is Sony bringing to the fight?

According to a report by CNN/Money, Sony will launch the PlayStation Portable, or PSP, on March 24th for the lucrative North American market.  The handheld gaming platform/media player will retail for $249.99 and will include the system, AC adaptor for its rechargeable battery, a 32MB Memory Stick, and a portable version of the movie Spider-Man 2 (which was produced by Sony's film division).

Sony's packaging of the system reveals the company's aggressive approach to its non-gaming applications.  The Memory Stick is required to save game data, since the PSP is a disc-based system, but it can also be used to store and play music and video transferred from a PC and other compatible devices.  By including a copy of Spider-Man 2 on the system's proprietary UMD disc format, Sony is hoping to lure in casual gamers and older consumers with one of 2004's most successful feature films, as well as establishing the PSP as a viable alternative to portable DVD players.

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.

[MaleficentOgre]

over half of the PSP's launch titles are ports or remixes.  anyway, this deal isn't as good as I figured it would be.  The PSP will actually cost $300, unless of course no one is going to buy a game for it.  They really need to release a PSP by itself.  and there's no way this thing becomes a portable dvd player alternative.  There's just no way people rebuy all of their dvds on UMD.  

[Pale]

Well if nintendo is gonna announce this online/demasked plan in order to combat the PSP launch like all the rumors are saying, they better get on that pretty darn quickly.

[jarob]

The DS lineup is not that great either.  Many are ports or remakes also.  The flagship title for the DS is a N64 game (with additional features though).  24 games is a lot of games.  No matter if they are ports or not.

[SPhil64]

More goodies?  I don't know about that.  The only thing that it comes with that the DS didn't have some equivlant to is the Memory Stick (and the DS doesn't really need that) and as much as I love Spider-Man 2, I've played the Metroid demo more often than I've seen the movie.  I still think the DS is the better deal here.  And remember, quality over quanity.  I'd rather have five good games at launch than 24 that completely suck.  Honestly, not everyone has to buy a launch title and certainly very few people (if any) will buy them all.  All it takes, in my case, is ONE good game to make me get the system.  Mario 64 DS was that game.  Will I buy more games?  Sure, I've seen the upcoming line up and there are a lot more games for me to get excited about.  And how often do you hear about people remembering more than a few launch titles?  The PS2 had, what, fifteen titles or so?  How many people know them all offhand?  Players will mostly remember the few great launch games that helped to sell the system.   I got a feeling that for the PSP people will remember four out of all the games.  Then again, we just have to wait and see what happens.

[Jonnyboy117]

Were there five good games at the DS launch?  I wouldn't go that far.  I think at least five of the PSP launch titles will be good, from what I've read about them (including impressions from the JPN versions).  You can find the launch lineup if you search around; it wasn't included in the CNN/Money report, and I'm not sure if I want to include it in PGC's report...maybe I will, I dunno.

In a battle between First Hunt demo vs. Spider-Man 2 on UMD, I'll take the movie any day.  A better fight might be PictoChat vs. the movie, because I think PictoChat is a lot more fun than First Hunt, but you need other people with DSes to really use it.

[Hostile Creation]

I still can't say what kind of retard is going to buy a UMD just to watch a movie on their PSP when they can buy a DVD.  I think the idea is ridiculous.

No offense, Jonnyboy But buying UMDs seems so pointless.

[KDR_11k]

A number of potential US american customers seem to believe the PSP will play PS1 and 2 games. That'll cause a huge uproar when the system finally hits. Quote from Slashdot: "Or you could buy it early and use the PS2 and PS1 library that has been building since the 1990s.". Those people will go nuts, I tell ya!

[Artimus]

The funny thing about the UMD is that this time next year they're going to be telling us all about these amazing blu-ray discs and asking us to rebuy our DVDs on those. I don't see why anyone would rebuy a DVD to play it on their PSP...

If Nintendo would bring out some good games it would make a huge difference.

[Savior]

Quote
More goodies?

Spiderman 2 on UMD... Other than that its the same package as the Japanese launch... for 50 dollars more...  Which is certainly a price hike by them. Nintendo could just lower the DS price to 124.99 or something to make their price even more attractive

[Ian Sane]

This isn't including more goodies, it's bundling.  If they the price was comparible to the DS then you could say they're including more stuff.  But since the price is higher it just means they're forcing people to buy extras they don't need.  Realistically it probably won't doom the PSP or anything, or even affect sales at all.  It's just a shame they're screwing over their customers.

24 games is a lot especially when the DS has been out for a few months and has less.  It doesn't matter if most of those 24 aren't that good.  The thing is it provides the exact thing that always given Sony the edge over Nintendo: variety.  If you buy a PSP then there's a good chance you'll find something in the launch lineup that you can have fun with.  You don't have that option on the DS.

Nintendo had several months to really sell the DS concept.  They wasted that time.  They have not released a killer app.  They have not sold the DS exclusive features as anything but a gimmick.  Price is the ONLY thing the DS has better than the PSP and that didn't help the Gamecube.  I look at the PSP and I see that Sony is trying REALLY hard to succeed.  I look at the DS and I see that Nintendo is being lazy and isn't doing anything.  They're expecting the DS to succeed because it's Nintendo and that's not good enough.

When the DS was first shown I picked it as the winner because of it's innovative design.  Now that Nintendo has failed to show that design as anything significant and have made virtually no effort to make the DS great I'm predicting that the PSP will win and Sony will be number one on both consoles and portables.  Nintendo's just being cocky and arrogant.  They're making the same pig-headed stubborn mistakes they did with the N64 and the PSP is going to kick their ass unless they start busting their butt right now before it's too late.  I'm not saying I like the PSP more than the DS (I'm not really interested in either portable right now) but I think the PSP will sell better.  I hope Nintendo proves me wrong because the DS has such potential.

[Avinash_Tyagi]

I disagree, the DS hasn't had to work hard in the US because competition has been absent, they are doing the smart thing saving all their bullets until Sony enters the fray.

In Japan they have managed to easily hold their own against the PSP.

[Djunknown]

For those bringing up the Quanity Vs Quality argument, please look at what's happening on the Console side. 'Nuff said.

$249? Its not a bad price, since its bundled, but let's see how much the games are. I'm curious whether the Spider Man 2 UMD will just be the movie, sans the extra goodies such as commentary, outakes, making-of's etc.

Another question is is how many PSP's can they crank out? They can spin the news and say they sold out their initial shipment, but Sony will have a mountain to climb.

Will the DS counter this move with a killer app? A price drop? A bundle of their own? Or simply wait to be crushed by the hype? Stay tuned gamers, stay tuned....

[couchmonkey]

While the idea that Nintendo is saving its big games for the PSP launch in North America is attractive, it doesn't change the fact that PSP will have pretty much the same number of games on launch day as the DS and that there's been exactly 0 new games for the DS in over a month.  A lot of early DS buyers are getting understandably ticked off, and the general public may be getting the impression that yet again Nintendo is failing to offer a good selection of games with a new system.

If Nintendo is saving up for the PSP launch, it had better have one heck of a punch, because I think a lot of people are underwhelmed right now.

[Avinash_Tyagi]

Personally I think Sony shot themselves in the foot with this annoucement.  They could have released at $180 and really put fear in Nintendo, $250 means Nintendo can sit at $150 for a while.

Yes the Nintendo lineup in the states has been weak, but by the end of march Nintendo could have Yoshi, Pokemon and Wario out in the states, annouced online plans and set dates for games like Animal crossing, heck they could have Play-yan announced for the US by then, Nintendo merely has to have a few announcements before the PSP releases and really take the wind out of Sony's sails.

[SgtShiversBen]

Don't y'all realize what you're saying?  250 dollars (sans game) for a portable gaming device.  This is why I don't want great graphics or any of that mainstream crap coming into handhelds, it's ruining it and jacking up the prices.  When the GBA came out it was what, 100$ (not sure).  I thought even that was pricey.  But this is just insane.  At least the DS gives you a game you can play with when you're bored on a trip (even if it is a demo).  There's just so many times you can watch SpiderMan 2, and after 3 times, I'm tired of it.  That's the beauty about games, you can play them over and over (unless it's a game movie like FF or MGS) and not get tired.  Also, even if the games don't suit your needs there's the GBA compatibility.  I think Nintendo put that in because they knew there wasn't going to be a great surge of games yet.  So horray for them, it's great to finally be able to SEE my GBA.  This is the reason why I think parents won't buy their kids one, oh wait, Sony isn't aiming towards kids.  They want THE MATURE HARDCORE TECHNO RACING NEXT GEN GAMING gamers.  Personally, they can have them.  I love my DS, my roommate loves my DS, my girlfriend, sisters, basically everyone I know, loves my DS.  My girlfriend's getting one for Animal Crossing and I know my roommie will get one for Zelda.  But oh well.  They can launch and maybe I'll buy one, but not at that price.  Not even at 150.  When the PSP goes for under a hundred, then I'll think about it.

[Avinash_Tyagi]

I think the reason Sony is pricing so high is to counter the money they have lost in Japan due to the low software sales.

Sony is losing money on the Hardware, if they don't achieve profitability in Software they will not last long in the market.

[Ian Sane]

"I disagree, the DS hasn't had to work hard in the US because competition has been absent, they are doing the smart thing saving all their bullets until Sony enters the fray."

That's an acceptable strategy but there's no indication that that's what Nintendo is doing.  Where are these bullets?  It's February.  The PSP launches in March.  If Nintendo has some big guns ready to go we have to see them in the next few days or they just don't exist.  If Nintendo had a list of major games set to release alongside the PSP launch then I would have more faith in them.  But they don't.  Warioware and Yoshi's Touch 'n' Go aren't going to cut it.  There needs to be something major and now it's too late.  If Nintendo planned on waiting until the PSP launch then they would have shown us some killer title a while ago.

We'll see at E3 but any DS killer app that is going to have a real effect on the DS vs PSP war has to be released by Christmas at the latest.  That means if such a title exists they have to be working on it now.

[BlackNMild2k1]

PSP Release List

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

[chlupe]

Not an excuse, but a reason for the DS' scant library: Nintendo put the machine out to market early.

Again, not an excuse -- a reason. And in my opinion, an unacceptable one. For me, it's alright -- three games and the GBA library can tide me over for a long time. But for public perception -- awful. Had they delayed the DS launch for a few more months, it too could have launched with more than six games (and six more during week two). Instead, we're left waiting for Wario Ware Touched (which, after playing the Japanese version, I respectfully disagree that it "ain't going to do it." Unless we're talking strictly about sales numbers. You know the mass market will go for style over substance any day of the week, unfortunately.)

I love my DS, but I'm still really, really upset with the software heads up at the Big N.  

[Ian Sane]

Looking at that release list there's like more decent PSP launch games then there were DS launch games period.  And who would have thought that Sony, who had one first party PS2 launch title, would release more launch titles than Nintendo did?  That's 9 first party titles, none of which are ports (though ATV could be).  The DS might not even have 9 first party titles by the end of the year.  Sure Sony isn't nearly as great as Nintendo is at making games but they're bringing the content and they're filling in the genres.  If they can make 9 games Nintendo should be able to make at least 4.  The weak lineup of the DS is completely inexcusable.

[SPhil64]

Go figure, most of the titles are sports games.  That easily knocks out 14 of their line up for me.

[chlupe]

Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane
Looking at that release list there's like more decent PSP launch games then there were DS launch games period.  And who would have thought that Sony, who had one first party PS2 launch title, would release more launch titles than Nintendo did?  That's 9 first party titles, none of which are ports (though ATV could be).  The DS might not even have 9 first party titles by the end of the year.  Sure Sony isn't nearly as great as Nintendo is at making games but they're bringing the content and they're filling in the genres.  If they can make 9 games Nintendo should be able to make at least 4.  The weak lineup of the DS is completely inexcusable.

Although I still abide by quality over quantity, there is a breaking point... although I haven't reached it yet, I'm not surprised that many people are. Mario 64 DS as the only first party title is really, really upsetting. At the very least, though, we have your classic sig to look at...

[KnowsNothing]

Well, that launch line-up is spectacular, in my opinion.  Not that I'm really interested in any of them (save for Lumines), but the public will.  The game lineup will really help Sony.

On the otehr hand, the price will hurt them.  Well, maybe not THAT much, because they give the perception that you're getting a ton with the package.  Wow, I'm getting the cord I need to charge the battery!  I would have never expected that to come with the system!  Plus the PSP NEEDS it's memory stick; the DS comes with that built in each game.  Spider-man 2 is the only actual extra, and it will certainly attract alot of people, but I'm guessing that about half of the people the PSP is targeting already owns the DVD =p  Plus, you pretty much need to be on a long car trip or something to watch this, because it'll be tough to watch it on the bus home from school =p

I absolutley LOVE the fact that people think the game can play PS1/2 games and DVDs.  If this perception carries over into launch, it'll be hilarious to watch forums and phone-lines explode with "how does i fits dvd into psp?"  Unfortunatley, returning a system won't take you off the total sales =\

[Savior]

I dont know if the launch lineup is spectacular.... its average imo. a Card based Metal Gear game... ugg... but its got the support of EA so they attract the Main stream gamer.


Nintendo could use some of their games  moved up. Prime Hunters and Mario Kart could do alot of good if they are released before May.  And the online announcement when is that...