Continue reading Video: White PSPgo hands-on
Filed under: Gaming
Video: White PSPgo hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 08:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
We just sat down for an interview with Sony’s John Koller, who among many other interesting tidbits and factoids (more on those later) assuaged fears that our giant UMD library would be entirely forsaken. While light on details — they’re still figuring it out, he said — there will be a “good will” program by which owners of current disc-based titles will be able to obtain digital copies for use on the PSP Go — “a set number of titles for a set period of time,” to be exact. He couldn’t confirm all games, or at least all your personal collection, would be transferrable — that might have to do with the number of digitized games they’ll have at launch, which will be at least 300 but not the whole back catalog — but despite calling it a short-term program he did say, should you receive a new UMD game later down the line, you should still be able to make the digital transfer. As for price, we’re still looking to confirm something there, but they wouldn’t be putting so much effort into the program if it wasn’t at least for a discount, if not free.
If you happen to like your discs, Koller said UMDs aren’t going by the wayside so long as the PSP is still around, but he expects digital to start taking an increasing share. Looking to the future, he confirmed all first-party titles and most third-party titles (by the developers’ own volition, not a mandate) will be available as digital downloads day and date with the UMD hard copies, and yeah, despite the reduced shipping and manufacturing costs, it’ll be for the same price, too.
Filed under: Gaming
Sony working on “good will” program to give digital copies of your UMD collection originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
So what will happen to all of your old UMD games if you buy a PSP Go? You’ll be able to procure digital copies of those discs, maybe even for free.
I asked Sony’s John Koller, Director of Hardware Marketing for Sony, what the company planned to do for their most loyal fanbase—those who’d amassed a large collection of UMDs but who’d also like to play these games on the Go. His response:
We’re in the midst of putting together a good will program. We’ll be unveiling that soon [because] we actually think there’s a significant group that will be upgrading from the 1000…In the past, we’ve seen a 20-25% trade-up factor, and I assume that’s going to be the case here. We’ve modeled that. So we’re looking at a good-will program—a short term good-will program that would continue for years afterward.”
Short-term for years afterward? In other words, the program itself will last for years, but these digital game copies will be tied to either when you bought the UMD or the PSP Go—such specifics were not made clear.
Speaking more regarding the technical aspects of the good will program, Koller explained while the distribution model was still in the planning stages, the user’s experience would be similar to Portable Copy—a way in which Blu-ray movies can be ripped and converted from the PS3 to the PSP. However, Koller assured me that users would not be ripping their UMDs. Instead, it sounds like Sony will use a PSN-based digital distribution model will “encourage” users to sign up for the service.
But the neatest thing about Koller’s Portable Copy comparison? Portable Copy is free. So we’re doubting that Sony will charge for the service—though we have no confirmation. Unfortunately, Koller also slipped in that Sony’s “looking at what kind of games will be offered.” In other words, Sony’s good-will program will probably not apply to every title in the PSP’s library, but given that there are only a few that matter anyway, maybe this limitation isn’t such a big deal.
When Sony announced the latest version of its PlayStation Portable during its E3 press conference yesterday, the company laughingly referred to it as “the worst kept secret at E3 2009,” which was basically true. Rumors about and pictures of the device have been floating around the blogosphere for months–and now that the PSP Go has been confirmed, it turns out that most of them were spot on.
The PSP Go has 16GB of internal Flash memory, built-in Wi-Fi, and integrated Bluetooth. It’ll be arriving in stores in October, for $249. I managed to finagle my way into the roped-off portion of Sony’s booth on the second day of E3 ito get some solo hands-on time with the device.
After the jump, check out exclusive video and more photos of the PSP Go.
Tucked in between the “worst kept secret” PSP Go and motion control demos at its E3 press conference, Sony also revealed new content for the PlayStation Network video service, and the ability to download video directly to the PSP, no PS3 or PC intermediary needed. No word on when to expect the new content exactly, but it will include video from Showtime Networks, Starz, G4 & E!, Summit Entertainment, The Weinstein Company, HDNet & Magnolia Pictures, Anime Network, Media Blasters, Right Stuf’s Nozomi Entertainment, Starz Media’s Manga Entertainment, Toei Animation, Viz Media, WEP, UFC, TNA and Video Action Sports. Looks like Sony will have easy on the go access to video store content up and running before Microsoft gets its Zune integration act together, but whether that compares to 1080p instant streaming promises remains to be seen (Hint: first one with direct Hulu access wins, we’re just saying, guys.) Check out Sony’s trailer embedded after the break.
Continue reading Sony adds PSP access to PlayStation Network video store, 16 new content partners
Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds, Home Entertainment, Portable Video
Sony adds PSP access to PlayStation Network video store, 16 new content partners originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sony on Tuesday provided details on a smaller, flash-based version of its PlayStation Portable console, dubbed PSP Go.
Admitting the PSP Go was the company’s “worst kept secret,” Sony confirmed that earlier leaks previewing the device were legitimate. The main difference from the PSP? The PSP Go ditches Universal Media Discs, allowing gamers to fully rely on digital distribution to buy new titles.
The full specs are as follows:
With the PSP Go, gamers will be able to purchase and download games via Sony’s online PlayStation Store, sparing them a trip to a brick-and-mortar shop. Sony said it plans to offer many of its future game titles through the PlayStation Store as well as in Universal Media Disc format.
Hitting stores Oct. 1, the PSP Go will cost $250.
See more images of the PSP Go below the jump. Also, visit Wired.com’s Game Life blog for more coverage of E3 2009.
See Also:
Images: Sony
Apparently word is slowly trickling through Sony that its brand new handheld is actually called PSPgo (at least according to the second of two pieces of PR we’ve seen on the thing). We’re guessing a similar word of mouth pace will operate in the inverse to communicate to top Sony brass that most folks think $250 for years-old gaming handheld hardware is a little steep these days. Of course, sequestered in our Engadget HQ and flush with cash from a hefty hit and run settlement a couple years back, we’re more curious as to what you think about the price and feature set here. Don’t be shy, just let it all out.
Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds
Is Sony’s PSPgo just what you needed, or an overpriced rehash? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
I just finished groping the PSP Go! After a few minutes with the new handheld, I know why Sony is keeping the classic PSP intact. Updated with video.
The PSP Go! feels considerably smaller than the wider PSP—mostly because it is. And the feeling of actually playing is akin to a cellphone/PSP hybrid, a device like we expected to see from Ericsson for some time. Borrowing from Kotaku’s game review process for a moment, here’s my take on the PSP Go!:
What I Loved:
• The chrome triggers are the perfect level of clicky, and they extrude from the Go’s body at just the right amount.
• With brushed metal, piano black and matte black, it’s a nice looking machine in person with hardware that, for the most part, feels premium.
• Sliding the PSP Go! open and close is smooth and satisfying and addictive and wonderful.
What I’m Not Sure About:
• Both the D-Pad and main game buttons don’t press down very much. Sure, they were responsive, but it barely felt like you were pushing them down. The feeling would take some getting used to.
• The position of the single analog stick makes the device feel smaller than it really is (in a bad way). And it’s just tough to use in its current, tiny-hand-intended system. I was left wondering, is the PSP Go! small, or are my hands just big?
What I Hated:
• The start/select buttons are just a waste of space on the controller. They could have been stuck anywhere. Instead, they spite you, taking up the spot that the second analog should be. Also, these two buttons simply don’t feel as premium as the rest of the device.
UPDATE: Later, I tested the system without the annoying security tether. It was far easier to hold, making the controls feel more manageable. But I’d need an extended play test to really know if I could handle it for heavy gaming.
The company also touched on a number of family friendly games for the device, including Petz and Rock Band Unplugged.
Just as expected, Sony just announced the PSP Go at E3 just now — Haz Kirai called it the “worst kept secret at E3.” The slider handheld has a 3.8-inch LCD, built-in Bluetooth and 16GB of internal storage, all in a case 50 percent smaller and 40 percent lighter than the original PSP-1000 — a weight savings we’re guessing is directly attributable to the loss of the UMD drive. That’s right, the Go doesn’t have a UMD drive — games will instead load in through the Memory Stick Micro slot or over PlayStation Network. That’s not the end of the classic PSP, though — Sony says it will “live on.” New PSP titles will be distributed through both UMD at retail and online simultaneously — Sony’s beefing up the desktop client and renaming it Media Go for easier access and syncing with Playstation Network media, but you’ll be able to get PSN content directly from the Go as well. The PSP’s music features have also been beefed up with a new auto-playlist feature called Sense Me, which sounds a lot like Pandora or iTunes Genius playlists, and there’s a new video delivery service being rolled out.
Don’t expect the loss of UMD to lower the price, though: the Go will be $249 when it launches on October 1 in North America and Europe and November 1 in Japan. Sony’s showing demo videos with both black and white versions, but that’s not confirmed yet — we’ll let you know.
Update: Check the full PR here.
Update 2: Sony has just blasted out the detailed specifications. Here are the highlights:
Filed under: Gaming
Sony PSP Go announced — $249, no UMD originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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