The Playstation Vita Catch-All

Stele wrote:

Dual analog seems cool. And that OLED screen is sexy.

Otherwise, I'm not sure. Price will probably be an issue. Will check back in a few months. :D

Definitely was a smart move by Sony to make a splash like this. Especially since it appears they did a good job of keeping leaks under wraps. The conversation literally went from people talking themselves into the 3DS and trying to figure out if they could stand the 3D to suddenly there being competition. Probably closer this generation than last.

Saw these over at Kotaku and thought I would share.

IMAGE(http://images.joshuamills.net/gwj/psp2/pic_01.jpg)

IMAGE(http://images.joshuamills.net/gwj/psp2/pic_02.jpg)

IMAGE(http://images.joshuamills.net/gwj/psp2/pic_03.jpg)
Those are the touch pads, and the lack of a battery cover is intentional - the battery will not be user replaceable.

I want SOCOM. Real, dual-stick, no-auto-aim SOCOM. Gimme.

Wow. Like I said earlier, this definitely deflates the 3DS balloon for me. It makes the 3DS look decidedly last gen. Like a slight bump from the DS.

DSGamer wrote:

Wow. Like I said earlier, this definitely deflates the 3DS balloon for me. It makes the 3DS look decidedly last gen. Like a slight bump from the DS.

I think the biggest issue is that the 3D can not been shown off using traditional media. I'm very interested to see if Sony can pull this off, but entry price is going to be the make-it-or-break-it factor.

Also, game costs.

For Irongut!

I'm loving that they stuck with the original design aesthetic of the PSP. To this day (some six years later), it's still the sexiest handheld I've ever seen.

Aaron D. wrote:

I'm loving that they stuck with the original design aesthetic of the PSP. To this day (some six years later), it's still the sexiest handheld I've ever seen.

It got sexier too. The big question is how portable it will be.

DSGamer wrote:
Aaron D. wrote:

I'm loving that they stuck with the original design aesthetic of the PSP. To this day (some six years later), it's still the sexiest handheld I've ever seen.

It got sexier too. The big question is how portable it will be.

Meaning?

trueheart78 wrote:
DSGamer wrote:
Aaron D. wrote:

I'm loving that they stuck with the original design aesthetic of the PSP. To this day (some six years later), it's still the sexiest handheld I've ever seen.

It got sexier too. The big question is how portable it will be.

Meaning?

It's a personal thing and I'm not sure I can do a very good job explaining it. It's not a size thing. I'm happy to pack around the DSi XL. It's not a battery life thing as the PSP was pretty good. What I know is that last generation the PSP "felt" fragile to me. Like if I dropped it it would break. So I was more likely to slip the DS or GBA in my pocket and thus less likely to play PSP games, regardless of if I liked them better.

If the new PSP "feels" to me like it's something I can slip in my pocket and not think about too much, then it will be a winner. Honestly, I feel like a lot of it had to do with lots of little moving parts. From the UMD drive to all the switches and buttons that were always exposed. When I tried packing around the original PSP it used to always wake up when the "sleep/power" button would get caught on something in my pocket. So moving some of that functionality into touch screen menus, as it seems they have done and recessing some of the buttons might be enough.

Can this make phone calls and access the Android market place? I'm curious if this could converge a smart phone and game system. A higher price point may be worth it then.

DSGamer wrote:

If the new PSP "feels" to me like it's something I can slip in my pocket and not think about too much, then it will be a winner.

My understanding is there were still attendants wiping down the systems as people fingerprinted them to death, like the current PSP. Considering the technology they're bundling, I'd be very surprised if it doesn't feel sturdy but I also don't expect it to be near as portable as a clamshell DS has proven to be, which means that I'd need a case anywhere I ever decided to take it.

Edwin wrote:

Can this make phone calls and access the Android market place? I'm curious if this could converge a smart phone and game system. A higher price point may be worth it then.

No, but they're gaming suite looks to be bringing game apps to the Android OS, and I think there will be a flagship device put out by Sony Ericsson when the time is right.

IMAGE(http://images.joshuamills.net/gwj/psp2/sizetime.jpg)

Hint as to the price in this interview.

When I asked about price, Yoshida replied, "We are not talking about price yet, but I hope that when we announce the price, people will say it makes sense."

Anyone remember the way they tried to convice consumers that the original PS3 price was a bargain because of how great the system was? It was so powerful, it had a blue ray player, etc., etc. The language they are using smacks of the same thing. It is going be very high priced and they are going to pitch it as our fault if we don't understand the value we are getting!

trueheart78 wrote:

IMAGE(http://images.joshuamills.net/gwj/psp2/sizetime.jpg)

I wish they threw in a Ipad or something bigger then it to see.

^^^I saw one with the Kindle and Ipad on a competing message board this morning. They are out there.

Courtesy of GamesRadar:

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/FQ1nn.jpg)

You'll have to mentally include the PSP2 yourself.

So how do you setup an online betting pool? We should have one guessing the price.

I take $399.

I'm thinking $399 too.

Sony could shock us all and release at $299, but I doubt it.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

You'll have to mentally include the PSP2 yourself.

I prefer to let photoshop do that. I just cropped the PSP and PSP2, then copied them to the iPad image and scaled them together to get the below image.

IMAGE(http://images.joshuamills.net/gwj/psp2/sizetime_2.jpg)

So it is bigger than a Kindle DX?

I don't vouch for the accuracy.

IMAGE(http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/6506/sizecomparison.jpg)

farley3k wrote:

So how do you setup an online betting pool? We should have one guessing the price.

I take $399.

$499 US Dollars. I don't know why but I just have this bad feeling about the price...

farley3k wrote:

Anyone remember the way they tried to convice consumers that the original PS3 price was a bargain because of how great the system was? It was so powerful, it had a blue ray player, etc., etc. The language they are using smacks of the same thing. It is going be very high priced and they are going to pitch it as our fault if we don't understand the value we are getting!

Oh, here it is.

I'm going to say $349, and I was tempted to say $299.

Yes, I remember the PS3 launch price, but part of why they were able to survive that is that the PSP still moved units, even with questionable software support. It wasn't sensational if you use the DS as the standard, but it was a big piece for the company.

Even as PS3 sales have improved, falling PSP sales have hurt.

I don't think they can afford to lose the PSP as an overachieving unit-mover. $100 more expensive than the 3DS is a lot, and I don't see how they can come out at $499 and be $250 above the 3DS.

I'm taking $399.99. Ha!

DSGamer wrote:

Wow. Like I said earlier, this definitely deflates the 3DS balloon for me. It makes the 3DS look decidedly last gen. Like a slight bump from the DS.

I seem to remember many folks said the DS wasn't very sexy / technologically advanced compared with the PSP when they were first coming out (myself included). How'd that work out for Sony, again?

firesloth wrote:
DSGamer wrote:

Wow. Like I said earlier, this definitely deflates the 3DS balloon for me. It makes the 3DS look decidedly last gen. Like a slight bump from the DS.

I seem to remember many folks said the DS wasn't very sexy / technologically advanced compared with the PSP when they were first coming out (myself included). How'd that work out for Sony, again? ;)

Nor the Wii as compared to the 360 and PS3. Sexy technology is grossly overrated.

349 here. Worried about the Japanese price though considering the 3DS is already ~$250.

Gamestop's getting into the launch price betting pool. Their bet?

$1,000.

*Legion* wrote:

I'm going to say $349, and I was tempted to say $299.

Yes, I remember the PS3 launch price, but part of why they were able to survive that is that the PSP still moved units, even with questionable software support. It wasn't sensational if you use the DS as the standard, but it was a big piece for the company.

Even as PS3 sales have improved, falling PSP sales have hurt.

I don't think they can afford to lose the PSP as an overachieving unit-mover. $100 more expensive than the 3DS is a lot, and I don't see how they can come out at $499 and be $250 above the 3DS.

I agree. I'm going to guess $299. If Sony is smart... Big if, I know. If Sony is smart they'll remember that when the $600 PS3 was struggling they kept sending out press releases saying that "Playstation" was selling X amount of units. They lumped in all 3 Playstation brands to try and blunt the rousing disaster that was the $600 price point. So basically both the PSP AND the PS2 were covering for the lack of sales of the PS3 initially.

If they remember this they have to get much closer to the 3DS.

firesloth wrote:
DSGamer wrote:

Wow. Like I said earlier, this definitely deflates the 3DS balloon for me. It makes the 3DS look decidedly last gen. Like a slight bump from the DS.

I seem to remember many folks said the DS wasn't very sexy / technologically advanced compared with the PSP when they were first coming out (myself included). How'd that work out for Sony, again? ;)

Sure. I think the difference is that, at least to me, the additions and upgrades Sony has made are more significant than what Nintendo has done. They're adding 2 analog sticks while Nintendo adds an analog nub. They're increasing the processing significantly. 4 cores? Battery life better, so they say. And on top of all that if you listen to the Giant Bombcast episode on the 3DS (kind of eye opening), people who actually use the 3DS are often turning off the 3D.

So what you're left with is the 3DS's main new feature being optional, while Sony has added two significant new features (analog sticks and touch screen) that make it a more interesting device. To me the 3DS looks more like the DS Lite than the NGP looks like the PSP. The 3DS is to the NGP as the Wii is to the 360. And maybe Nintendo can pull that off again. Coming in with the less powerful and less ambitious device. Something tells me, though, that this time around most people will be happy enough with their smartphones that if they buy a device, they'll buy the one provides a more significantly improved experience. I think that's the NGP. At least, it appears that way from where I sit.