Ben-DutkaCompanies are always looking a few years down the road in order to remain both relevant and proactive, but did you realize that the recently announced PSP Go is the portable unit Sony had in its mind this whole time? Or aren't you surprised?
According to a GameBusiness.jp interview with Sony's product planning division boss Naoya Matsui, Sony had always planned to go all digital, right from the start. Yep, it's now obvious that they didn't expect UMD to shoulder the load forever; Matsui said, "we'd planned to release a PSP model without a UMD drive since the very beginning." If you're wondering why Sony didn't just start with the PSP Go, Matsui answers:
"But if we'd simply released the hardware, there wouldn't have been much for everyone to enjoy. We needed to prepare the right environment for it first – things like the transferral of content with the PS3 and PSN, and PC software to manage content like music and movies such as Media Go."
Obviously, there were a few technology hurdles to clear as well; he further explains that Sony wanted to wait until digital content could compete favorably with physical media. Well, that time is now, but it's also a reason why Sony will continue to sell the standard UMD PSP alongside the PSP Go. For our part, we always find such information fascinating, just 'cuz we get an idea as to how corporations think. We may do the news every day, but they're continually writing our news stories for us years in advance.
Bit of a rip… Oh well hope the original PSP goes down in price when this hits the market. My psp broke after 3 years of purchasing it, need a new one 🙁
Last edited by JJJames on 7/2/2009 11:17:53 AM
hmmm if they had planned the psp go from the start, what do they have planned for us in 6 years time? can't wait!!
Sure you did, Sony. That's why you spend all that time and money trying to hype UMD as a general-purpose format (UMD movies, anyone?). That's also why you waited until Apple tested the waters for digital distribution before doing anything. I believe you.
I'm sure that somewhere in Sony somebody had the idea for a UMD-less PSP, but claiming that it was always the plan sounds like a load of corporate ass-covering BS to me.
I have to agree. They don't want to have another MiniDisc fiasco on their record.
Ditto. They say "Since the beginning" but i hear "lame excuse…"
Whatever
"Sony wanted to wait until digital content could compete favorably with physical media."
UMDs are digital as well.
That depends on how you interpret "digital." Sure the data is all digital on a umd, but the reading apparatus is analog.
I dont really see it as an issue if they can give us a way to export our UMDs onto the PSPSGO, but i dodubt ill be getting one anyway, i save my PSP to rare ocassions.
Your new avatar is worse than before. Find one of the old dried up Kubrick Eyes Wide Shut years.
Oh no, these are the eyes that pierce mortal souls! and they're here to say to be incredibly indtimidating.
get a picture of the creepy fetus baby from 2001
this is just stupid, now if you get a PSP-go and want to play the UMD titles, you need buy the same damn game again in digital form.(unless they figure out someway to transfer the UMD file to the PSP-go) otherwise what a rip-off.
same goes for ps3, now if the newer ones will have b/c, then it's such a rip-off to whoever bought the console without b/c. so they better have some firmware update to add on the b/c to those ones do not have it, just to make it fair to all consumers.
Last edited by BigBoss4ever on 7/2/2009 12:45:43 PM
Why is it a ripoff? People knowingly bought the ps3 w/o ps2 compatibility. If they wanted BC they should have bought it when they had the chance.
because Sony made it on the original 60G console before, and then they took the b/c off, and now they put it back, so what about those bought the consoles in between?
Last edited by BigBoss4ever on 7/2/2009 6:43:51 PM
It doesn't matter, that's business. It'd be the same thing with anything. You buy a car and a few months later a new one comes out and you find it unfair they get extra features at the same price as when you bought yours. It's life, you made the choice on when to buy it.
I think physical media should be reserved for games that need a lot of space, and should have the option of a game install so as to as everyone knows reduce load times.
I think their should just be flat out two options, one for digital, one for physical. Also I believe all games should use an optional install system, for the people that want it and ones who don't.
Oh sure
I think this one is a mistake, and with the high price for it. People who has an older model like myself with a few games will not be able to play them on this new one.
President Bush: We always planned for the economy to fail by the end of my eighth year…
I think it's a response to the people who never liked UMD…I personally never had a problem with it but…oh well
Last edited by SarahPalinMILF on 7/2/2009 4:09:38 PM
I felt it was necessary to update my avatar as something the same tone as my user name…lol
tasteful isn't it…
Digital Download = Fail
I wounder what this will mean for the PS4 when it comes out around 2015… Will there be 2 models at launch, one with a BR drive and a 120GB HDD and one without a media drive and a 500GB HDD? Or will the PS3 be the last Playstation console we buy and in 2015 Sony will launch PS Cloud which will stream all games, movies, music, etc. to the PS3s and PSPs we have now? We're starting to see a shift to digital distribution and cloud computing and for me it's exciting.
That is a very interesting theory JDT…
I just now recall a news article about PD doing a demo of GT5 running at an incredible resolution and frame rate by using 4 PS3s linked together they said it look real just because the refresh rate was off the charts.
That could surely be done but, if you don't have internet access or is constrained by bandwidth caps, it would not work.
I'm sure we will see a PS4 sometime in the future but games that are online only like MAG, could use such a technology to excel in the graphics department.
@Karosso
You're right there most likely will be a PS4. I failed to take into consideration how many people have the right internet hookup necessary for an all cloud based system to work. There's enough people with broadband connections for a cloud computing service like On-Live to be marginally successful in a niche market. Consoles as we now them today will be around for another generation or two at least.
In the meantime like you said online only games could use cloud computing to take graphics, A.I., physics etc. to the cutting edge, perhaps rivaling pre rendered CGI blockbuster movies in realism.
No, just say NO!!!!!!
If that's so, I'm f*cked!
And that will be the end of my long years of collecting.
I want all my discs sitting all in a row, and seen, And not a bunch of flash drives, which I'd probably forget what games are on each damed one of them!
And they'll look like a bunch of fugly lil ducklings all sitting in a row
im strongly considering getting a PSPGo…can't wait for this.
sony tends to plan things and realese them after others have. motion tech after the wii and now the all digital psp like the iphone
I took a look around and my local game retailer and I noticed a PSP Pataon 2 case with the note embedded (activate code to download online). Meaning you get the case and booklet but you need the internet connection to download online. Since they're using this method for the PSP, will other "PSP" games follow the same direction for PSP go?
I heard "downloadable" PSN games have a limit of 5 times so the games must be PERMANENTLY on your Memory drive.
i rely hope they do develop that software there thinking of to convert UMD drives and store them on a memory stick.
that way i can by the games from the shop come home and put it on a memory stick, because i want to get a PSP go but am not going to wait 3 hours to download 1 single psp game.
plus waste my download usage im struggling to stay under as it is.