A Black Falcon Wrote:Yeah. Only someone as determined to not admit he was wrong as OB1 would say that it's anything other than Sony not wanting to admit the truth... okay, so maybe they're also hoping to improve it. But that isn't the whole story.

But the analog stick... yes, a definite mistake on Nintendo's part. I don't know what they were thinking.

Quote:The PSP also has a high capacity disc format for developers to make some massive games. 1.8 gigabyte discs versus 128 megabyte carts means that developers aren't quite as restricted in their game designs. On the flipside, a drive is something that requires a motor, and that's an element that will come into play a lot more than people realize. After talking to developers, it's clear that, since the battery life of the PSP will significantly drop when hitting the drive to load data, game designers will most likely be encouraged to steer away from the "streaming" style of data retrieval. So games like Jak 2, where the seamless worlds and levels are assisted by in-the-background transparent disc streaming, will more than likely be cut back significantly if programmers can't figure a way around the battery life issue.

Quote:My biggest issue with the PSP is that, really, it's just a shrunk down current-generation console. In theory this sounds great, since you can take PS2-quality games on the go. But the problem here is going to be simply one thing: expectations. Budgets for PlayStation 2 game development encroaches and many times exceeds the million-dollar pricetag. And the GBA market has proven that US consumers aren't willing to pay a premium for portable games over console titles. But with the system's capabilities being so darn close to a PlayStation 2, gamers will expect a similar experience. So, Sony will have to set a MSRP at less than what an average PS2 game goes for. And that will cut into the profit structure of the publishers and developers, which means budgets to make these games will have to be sliced as well. It's a sticky situation that's currently a big question mark…will developers and publishers embrace the system even if it's not nearly as profitable to support as the Nintendo DS…or even the Game Boy Advance.

Quote:My biggest issue with the PSP is that, really, it's just a shrunk down current-generation console. In theory this sounds great, since you can take PS2-quality games on the go. But the problem here is going to be simply one thing: expectations. Budgets for PlayStation 2 game development encroaches and many times exceeds the million-dollar pricetag. And the GBA market has proven that US consumers aren't willing to pay a premium for portable games over console titles. But with the system's capabilities being so darn close to a PlayStation 2, gamers will expect a similar experience. So, Sony will have to set a MSRP at less than what an average PS2 game goes for. And that will cut into the profit structure of the publishers and developers, which means budgets to make these games will have to be sliced as well. It's a sticky situation that's currently a big question mark…will developers and publishers embrace the system even if it's not nearly as profitable to support as the Nintendo DS…or even the Game Boy Advance.

Quote:GS: Tell me about the PSP. Who are you aiming that product for?

AH: We think it is the early-end adopter of entertainment product and content. That puts it very firmly in our experience in the 18 to 34-year-old male category. But I think we’ve learned from the PS2 experience that there is a huge potential market in the teen’s area. I think it’s the biggest single segment on PlayStation 2 now, and has been, interestingly, very present right from the launch.

GS: Which tells you what?

AH: What I think it taught us is that there has been a shift. If you read any of the data, it will tell you that teens have more disposable income, more of their earned income, and more interest in entertainment than they ever had before--and we saw the benefits of that.

The traditional approach in terms of launching platforms would have been: for PlayStation 2, that $299 is a prohibitive price point for the teenage market, so it’s definitely going to be older adults with more disposable income.

GS: And?

AH: Well, clearly not so. Therefore, if you look at the opportunity for PSP and for mobile entertainment platforms, I think the benefits are even greater. Who is the age segment that is on public transportation and doesn’t have a driver's license and has time on their hands? It’s going to be the teen market. So, almost in equal measure I think, it’s going to be the usual suspects--the core of our audience that will buy this thing initially, but I also think that the teen market could be huge for us.

I happen to be very bullish about the potential wrap-up of PSP overall. I think given a couple of other trends: the fact that people are, almost to the degree of fashion items, prepared to invest and re-invest in portable devices that they take with them--this could be a faster wrap-up than we’ve even seen on any of our home platforms to date, and that’s very exciting.

A Black Falcon Wrote:No, I suspect that if you were in my position you'd do the same thing... and do, on occasion...