The fall of Sony begins with the PSP

Big Shady · Jan 9, 2005

Okay I've never been one to do nay saying, but Sony's time is up. I was watching Screen Savers on G4TechTV after the Jets game and they had some CES coverage. Of course the Sony PSP was one of the headliners. So, CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America, Kaz Harai says:

PSP will elevate portable entertainment out of the handheld gaming ghetto, and Sony is the only company that can do it. PSP will be a disruptor in the portable entertainment space.
- Kaz Harai 01/06/2005

Get off your fucking high horse Harai! Do you really think that? "Portable gaming ghetto?" I'm sorry, but if the 3 Castlevanias, FFI&II, Metal Slug, Zelda, Mario, and Metroid on the GBA are the "portable gaming ghetto" then the PSP must be made by the Lord Jesus Christ himself! First off:

PSP = Portable Playstation

The Playstation is a notriously fragile piece of hardware. If the Playstation2 takes a 2 foot dive from your entertainment center there is a good chance it won't work. I was fortunate enough to test prototypes of the PSP and it was extremely fragile. It looked if someone dropped it the screen would just split in two. From people's reports on the JPN release it seems the PSP is still a piece of glass. I definitely wouldn't want to carry it from a key chain (as advertised) or let alone put it in my pocket.

Secondly portable gaming is not all about the eye cutting graphics that you get from your home systems. Portable is to be quick, easy, and chew up those deadspots during the day. A portable game player should not have to wait for 5-10 second load times (which are true) and does want to be blitzed by a bevy of images that subsitute for substandard gameplay.

Thirdly, where's your price Kari? How about a release date? The the smoke and mirror games that Sony is playing can only lead to spectulation that production problems have occured. Maybe I'm wrong and maybe its a hype tatic, I don't know.

Sony is putting alot of backing into PSP and it is gonna backfire hardcore when units become defective by March/April in Japan and May in the US. People will be fed up with the hype and promise, cast aside their PSP and go back to the GBA. If you want to make a solid portable, make sure its literally SOLID before you send it to market. Its like giving your kid sister the China Tea set instead of her plastic cups. You're just asking for trouble.

Pssh, "portable gaming ghetto." I should just smack him. :blow_top:

Takumaji · Jan 9, 2005

Sony's plans for the PSP are similar to what Bill Gates has in mind for the Xbox 2. Both companies want to conquer new markets by stuffing them with dozens of multimedia features. Most of them are a useless waste of time but they look good on a sheet with tech specs, and perhaps ppl who buy those ridiculous mobiles with blurry digicams and half-assed multimedia crap will also buy a PSP... OMG RIDGE RACER wILl be oN IT!1!!1!

About the fragility of Sony hardware: I really can't complain. My old 1xxx-series PSX has been dragged around a lot and played until the plastic shell started to melt, but it still runs flawlessly, the same goes for the controllers (the old ones without sticks). They look shiny/worn, but they still work like a charm, and lord knows I haven't treated them like gold.

Same with my nephews, they have two PSX's and a PS2, and even tho they treat their stuff like shit, the machines still work okay.

I know that there are countless horror stories about Sony hardware, so I guess I'm just one of those lucky few who never had a prob with that... the fact that I always make sure NOT to drop my consoles may have helped as well...

BioMotor_Unitron · Jan 9, 2005

Don't forget what the head of Sony America or whatever they call the U.S. branch said back when the PS2 was being prepared for release. "The PS2 will be the beginning of the end of the PC as we know it."

Last time I checked, they still taught Computer Science at Uni and not PS2 science.

Curt · Jan 9, 2005

Ive dropped my PSP from about 4 feet, on a hardwood flood, no scratches nothing. The Disc came out though.

also I stepped on it once, and have carried around with me alot in my Jacket Pocket, if they are big enough...

So far the system looks just like when I got it, except for the pesky fingerprints everywhere. The biggest thing I love about the unit is the SMOOTH interface for accessing save games, umds, photos, mp3s, and video files as large as your storage will permit. The interface is very slick and fairly intuitive.

roker · Jan 9, 2005

BioMotor_Unitron said:
"The PS2 will be the beginning of the end of the PC as we know it."

I hope they meant gaming

anyway, only time will tell, not rants by NG.com members

Tron · Jan 9, 2005

Big Shady said:
Okay I've never been one to do nay saying, but Sony's time is up. I was watching Screen Savers on G4TechTV after the Jets game and they had some CES coverage. Of course the Sony PSP was one of the headliners. So, CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America, Kaz Harai says:

Get off your fucking high horse Harai! Do you really think that? "Portable gaming ghetto?" I'm sorry, but if the 3 Castlevanias, FFI&II, Metal Slug, Zelda, Mario, and Metroid on the GBA are the "portable gaming ghetto" then the PSP must be made by the Lord Jesus Christ himself! First off:

PSP = Portable Playstation

The Playstation is a notriously fragile piece of hardware. If the Playstation2 takes a 2 foot dive from your entertainment center there is a good chance it won't work. I was fortunate enough to test prototypes of the PSP and it was extremely fragile. It looked if someone dropped it the screen would just split in two. From people's reports on the JPN release it seems the PSP is still a piece of glass. I definitely wouldn't want to carry it from a key chain (as advertised) or let alone put it in my pocket.

Secondly portable gaming is not all about the eye cutting graphics that you get from your home systems. Portable is to be quick, easy, and chew up those deadspots during the day. A portable game player should not have to wait for 5-10 second load times (which are true) and does want to be blitzed by a bevy of images that subsitute for substandard gameplay.

Thirdly, where's your price Kari? How about a release date? The the smoke and mirror games that Sony is playing can only lead to spectulation that production problems have occured. Maybe I'm wrong and maybe its a hype tatic, I don't know.

Sony is putting alot of backing into PSP and it is gonna backfire hardcore when units become defective by March/April in Japan and May in the US. People will be fed up with the hype and promise, cast aside their PSP and go back to the GBA. If you want to make a solid portable, make sure its literally SOLID before you send it to market. Its like giving your kid sister the China Tea set instead of her plastic cups. You're just asking for trouble.

Pssh, "portable gaming ghetto." I should just smack him.

Don't beleave the hype :loco:

I wouldn't worry all "game compenys" pull 'this stunt just to hype there sales.

Beside don't tell me Nintendo&MS haven't pull the same.... BS.

It's just a market strategy nothing more.

SSS · Jan 9, 2005

It will sell.. WELL. The new slim PStwo sold like hotcakes. What makes you think the PSP won't?

kernow · Jan 9, 2005

I had to play my original psx on its side eventually... I treated it like it was made of gold, didn't abuse it or anything.

I phoned sony up, and they asked for my address, the next day I woke up and answered the door to a courier, holding a brand new psx which he exchanged for mine... I believe they even used to sell the repaired psx's after they took them off your hands.

this was a standard procedure in the UK, I don't know about in europe too, but the machine had to be under a year old.

its funny, sony psx/ps2 stuff is the ONLY console hardware I've seen degrade, ok maybe I didn't play my 3DO enough, but oh! wait, I did know a few dreamcasts that died too, but not mine, I just opened it and cleaned it..

never seen a dead cube though, I've heard of some, but that sexy machine is just too hardcore (fanboy off)

BioMotor_Unitron · Jan 9, 2005

roke stAr said:
I hope they meant gaming

anyway, only time will tell, not rants by NG.com members

I believe he was asked to expound upon his statement later, and indicated that he meant it was going to supplant the PC.

dark penguin · Jan 9, 2005

If PSP does well, it will only be a matter of time before MS tries to push some outrageously overpriced handheld on us.

Moob Butter · Jan 9, 2005

I can picture it, the Xbrick. With a 3ghz processor and a Geforce 6 Ultra it enjoys being only 10 kg and 5 mins battery life...

Back to the PSP -
Seriously though, history will repeat itself like with the Gamegear / Gameboy war. Sure the Gamegear had much better graphics, but the battery life sucked and it was more expensive. Gameboy won and then had a monoply on the market. PSP vs DS I guess will have the same effect.

dark penguin · Jan 9, 2005

I can't imagine the PSP being the "fall" of Sony. But if they don't get this thing out on time over here, the DS will have a real head start regardless of graphics/performance issues between the two systems.
I by chance caught a re-run of Electric Playground today where Tallarico and the other guy were taping at E3 2004. They had just seen the demo videos of the PSP and DS(and had not had any hands-on with either system) and were already saying that Nintendo had made a poor showing and that they would both buy a PSP on name value and the video's "wow-factor" alone. Idiots, IMO, but that's besides the point.
It's that kind of pre-bias that will sell many PSP units, but the DS has already done better sales-wise than I was expecting it to.

Electroman · Jan 9, 2005

Could you guys imagine a world without Sony as an option in videogame entertainment?

<fades to dreamworld, Ahh... memories of Nintendo v Sega>

gamejunkie · Jan 9, 2005

Isn't the psp supposed to do stuff with the ps2, and the ds with the revolution? If so all I can say is connectivlity to a last gen system could be a fault.

It is rumored that microsoft is pushing halo on the Gizmondo.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/01/07/news_6115985.html

johnroche · Jan 9, 2005

I don't think this will be the "fall" of Sony. At the same time, I don't think this will be the final nail in Nintendo's coffin, either. I think that it will make some kind of impact, and it may actually co-exist alongside the GBA instead of falling to the wayside like so many of the GB's rivals (which were all superior to the GB in many ways, it bears noting).

Honestly, there's not much on either system that I'd be interested in getting, except maybe the DS Castlevania (which is Castlevania, and thus hard to fuck up).

brentsg · Jan 9, 2005

Well, based on my experience with the PSP so far I'm a believer. They could tighten a few QC issues but it is really amazing. The load times have been overblown, imho.

I do think the price and nature of the games will place the unit in a different demographic than the Gameboy and I think that makes sense. Certainly since it has a lot more moving parts and such it's more like a digital camera, iPod, PDA from a durability standpoint than a Gameboy.

Of course as a result it won't have the market penetraton of the big N handhelds.

I would imagine little Johhny could trash one, but no easier than trashing an iPod or something.

B

galfordo · Jan 9, 2005

Well, even if Sony is shoved completely out of the gaming industry (which is basically impossible at this point), they'd still be able to make a healthy profit on their electronics alone.

Regarding the PSP, the idea of a portable that's based on optical media just doesn't interest me. If I got it, I know that I wouln't want to bring it anywhere because of fear of it breaking. Thus, it's whole purpose would be defeated and I may as well just play my consoles instead.

Of course, the masses of Sony fanboys will suck these things up and probably make the PSP a huge hit, but I don't see it making nearly the impact that the PS 2 did.

Freelancer · Jan 9, 2005

I'd love to see the PSP fail. God, how I loathe Sony...

OrochiEddie · Jan 9, 2005

at this point the GBA is still rocking hard and i can see the GBA NOT the DS beating the PSP cause of the younger audience. Nintendo has the right idea of a sturdy handheld. Making a handheld with camera or ipod durability isnt too smart since a VERY BIG audience of handheld gamers are little kids and they brake anything and everything. Nintendos handhelds are very durable and that gives them a big thumbs up

johnroche said:
Honestly, there's not much on either system that I'd be interested in getting, except maybe the DS Castlevania (which is Castlevania, and thus hard to fuck up).

Ummmm castlevania 64? XD

johnroche · Jan 9, 2005

OrochiEddie said:
Ummmm castlevania 64? XD

I said hard, not impossible.

jethrek · Jan 9, 2005

galfordo said:
Well, even if Sony is shoved completely out of the gaming industry (which is basically impossible at this point), they'd still be able to make a healthy profit on their electronics alone.

Regarding the PSP, the idea of a portable that's based on optical media just doesn't interest me. If I got it, I know that I wouln't want to bring it anywhere because of fear of it breaking. Thus, it's whole purpose would be defeated and I may as well just play my consoles instead.

Of course, the masses of Sony fanboys will suck these things up and probably make the PSP a huge hit, but I don't see it making nearly the impact that the PS 2 did.

In point of fact, they can't. Read their most recent profit reports, the company's been in better shape.

jethrek · Jan 9, 2005

OrochiEddie said:
at this point the GBA is still rocking hard and i can see the GBA NOT the DS beating the PSP cause of the younger audience. Nintendo has the right idea of a sturdy handheld. Making a handheld with camera or ipod durability isnt too smart since a VERY BIG audience of handheld gamers are little kids and they brake anything and everything. Nintendos handhelds are very durable and that gives them a big thumbs up

Ummmm castlevania 64? XD

No, they're making a new 2d Castlevania starring Soma Cruz.

Off topic: I bought LEgacy of Darkness the other day for 16.99 and I'm playing through it. Not sure if I should be happy or shamed of this.

syringe · Jan 9, 2005

Jethrek starts all of this posts with

and that's fine, but he should rotate it with

and

or maybe even

as they all signify the same thing.

jethrek said:
No, they're making a new 2d Castlevania starring Soma Cruz.

Off topic: I bought LEgacy of Darkness the other day for 16.99 and I'm playing through it. Not sure if I should be happy or shamed of this.

Garland Russell · Jan 9, 2005

Please. The PSP will sell well. That doesn't mean that this system will be the fall of Sony, and Playstation will never, ever die. Deal with it.

dark penguin · Jan 9, 2005

Garland Russell said:
Please. The PSP will sell well. That doesn't mean that this system will be the fall of Sony, and Playstation will never, ever die. Deal with it.

You must have a crystal ball or something?
Obviously PSP -will- sell, that's not being disputed. But will it be enough to overtake the DS's foothold? Maybe, maybe not.
And playstation will never die? People said that re: NES/SNES back in tha day.

The fall of Sony begins with the PSP

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