Sony NGP (PSP 2) [Archive] - Retrogaming Roundtable

megasdkirby

01-29-2011, 08:38 AM

I fear this thing will be $250 or at least $300. There is no actual basis for this (just my opinion), but because of the following statement:

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."

Although it can be interpreted in many ways, I fear they may go the route of the PS3 by saying "It's worth the $600 becuase it does alot of things!".

So yeah, I expect the system to be expensive, but this is my opinion.

Now, if the console is at least the price of the 3DS...or even cheaper...then that could be a very good thing. Imagine the PSP2 being $200 and the 3DS $250. :p

Frankie_Says_Relax

01-29-2011, 09:06 AM

With the tech specs on this device, Sony has not only delivered on every want and criticism that every fan and critic of the original PSP had, but innovated in some very clever areas.

It has 2 analog sticks, it has physical media, it drops disc-based media in favor of more sensible cartridge based data, and a laundry list of other things that anybody who's looked at the specs should know.

In fact, I've not seen a portable device with more hardcore gaming friendly specs EVER in my lifetime.

Everything on-board the NGP is so damned relevant to modern, contemporary gaming it's tough to make a legitimate argument against it not having what you need.

If the device can do what the best modern consoles and smart phones can do, there WILL be 3rd party support, and we'll have all manner of APP type games and full-fledged, full-featured software. I can't imagine there not being fun software at launch and beyond. That coupled with the fact that you've got access to the entire PS1, MINI and PSP library on the PSN at launch means there are already an ass-ton of great games to muck around with if you didn't 1st time around on a PSP, even if the launch lineup is thin or lacking. (Personally, my current PSN PSP/MINI/PS1 library is HUGE thanks to my PSPGo and PSN+ membership, so on day one I'll have a ton of stuff to fill out the internal memory of the device.)

I think that at this point, no matter what the price of the device is, that's going to be the thing that people looking for an excuse to justify ... I don't know, whatever personal disdain that they have for the hardware, go after

It's not going to be as cheap as the 3DS, so we might as well get over that in our minds right now.

I'm going to guess $400. I'll certainly pay less, and I'll pay a bit more (without being thrilled about it).

Enigmus

01-29-2011, 09:45 AM

Oh, look, a portable PS3. /truth

megasdkirby

01-29-2011, 09:48 AM

I think that at this point, no matter what the price of the device is, that's going to be the thing that people looking for an excuse to justify ... I don't know, whatever personal disdain that they have for the hardware, go after

I'm going to guess $400. I'll certainly pay less, and I'll pay a bit more (without being thrilled about it).

At $400, I will pass. Heck, at over $250 I will pass. Reason being that, for a little more, I can get a "full fledged console" compared to a portable. Sure, it's not fair to compare a console to a hand held, but if I think that way, I know many others will so as well.

Also, the console can do many things but it still won't matter if the price is high. Just look at the Playstation 3: if the console was priced at a much, MUCH lower price, there would be a great chance that the current trend of consoles would have changed. But if the console is higher than it's competitor, it may not sell as well as they hope.

I firmly believe that the PSP2 should be priced at $250 and not a penny more, just to give the 3DS some sorely needed competition. Pricing it any higher will give the competition an upper hand, and people will simply purchase what is cheapest, which we have seen in this current generation.

duffmanth

01-29-2011, 09:51 AM

It looks like a very promising system. It also seems Sony has addressed many of the criticisms of the PSP and PSPgo, like finally adding dual analog sticks and doing away with a download only system. The touchscreen and trackpad look interesting, and it looks like they've got the major developers on board with their biggest titles. If the hardware specs are right, it's going to be a beast of a system. This brings me to the price...my best guess is $299? It'll be more than the $250 3DS, just because of the power alone, but Sony has been really stupid with their pricing in the past, so who knows? What concerns me about the price, is that Sony might look to Apple with the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch pricing, and say well our product has most of the bells and whistles yours does, and try and charge somewhere in the $400-600 price range for it?

Icarus Moonsight

01-29-2011, 12:47 PM

They've addressed many, if not nearly all, of the PSP faults. Now to see if the build quality got a booster shot and this thing can get an upgrade to field work. The PSP was the only portable device I never took portable on principle, out of fear of someone looking at it funny would shatter it. Price is the other Achilles heel, and with what's been said, the news is not good. "Second job to afford", not good. If it's $399+, the only thing that is going to save it is a suction feature.

Swamperon

01-29-2011, 12:58 PM

I can't see any flaws with it, 'cept maybe the price and that's something the 3DS is guilty of too (at least in GBP) but nothing about it is making me go wow either.

The back touchpad is intriguing but I'd have to see it in action before getting excited about it. And great that it's as powerful as a PS3 but if I wanted that, I'd buy a PS3. Which I hope to do this year.

Press_Start

01-29-2011, 01:24 PM

Thanks for the link. The videos helped give me a better idea for the NGP is about. Hearing that they switched from cased-CDs to cartridges-based handheld while pulling off PS2.5 graphics (least from I've seen) gives me hope they might do the same console in the near future.

The way I see it, there's three things that'll decide if NGP will be a success or flop:

1. Games: The NGP's/Sony's best shot is Christmas 2011. They need a great battleship launch of software titles of the AAA-game variety cause we already know Nintendo's bringing Kid Icarus, Ocarina of Time, Resident Evil Revelations, Paper Mario, Kingdom Heart 3D, Professor Layton, and a possible Star Fox title in the future.

While the other side has Uncharted. Sony needs to bust out more goodies especially at E3 if they want to entice gamers and keep up with the 3DS.

2. Piracy: This has plague the PSP the same way Kratos has temper tantrums and ultimately why many developers are hesitant. Not even the God of War devs are safe.

http://www.play.tm/news/32268/ready-at-dawn-piracy-hurt-a-lot-of-psp-devs/

With PS3 recently cracked, it looks like NGP is next on the hacker menu.

3. Price: PS3's $600 price tag stinted the early years of its growth and that was before the recession. Now...money's tighter and the 3DS' $250 price puts the NGP/Sony in a bind.

Go too high n' gamers can't afford your system and go to the cheaper option.

Go too low n' stick it to the competition big time and take a huge hit to your bottom line in the process.

It's a balancing act but I'll bet Sony will price the thing around $230 or $240, just to seem "cheaper" in a sense.

Well that's my two cents.

It also needs some good games. The US library for the PSP is fairly bad...

There's over 70 RPG's for the handheld on the US side alone. Not to mention God of War, Peace Walker, Birth By Sleep, Dissidia, Megaman Powered Up, and Castlevania Dracula X. You just have to drop the "Wii only has bad game mentality" and take a peek around.

Icarus Moonsight

01-29-2011, 01:56 PM

The PSP is/was very much like the Saturn, import and the library gets a significant bump. All the shmups, the Princess Crown port and the recent addition of Onichanbara. Then again, with a Pandora battery, you get all that plus more.

The PSPGo actually makes sense now in hindsight. They were hoping it would sell better (without getting cracked wide open) and be adopted by as many PSP owners as possible, to downplay their marriage to UMD and line up better with their future successor and the PSN distribution model.

That'll be an area where they still take a hit -- with owners of the UMD drive PSP systems, in the BC. Nintendo still has the edge in more than just the 3D gimmick(?) and definitely will have in price point. Eager will always beat pretty, so until they announce a retail tag, one has to assume it's just pretty for now. If they announce at $300, then I'd say they're both eager and pretty. I highly doubt that though.

CDiablo

01-29-2011, 02:08 PM

I think it looks great. I dont think any portable gaming device is worth more than $200. Im a Hypocrait because I am buying a 3DS at launch, only because I feel its the best console fo this generation. My only gripes with the console is I have heard nothing of a TV out(I never get to travel without being the driver) and all this console will provide is the same experience I can get on an XBOX/PS3/Wii. Also I am worried about games for this thing costing $60 or so.

heybtbm

01-29-2011, 07:05 PM

The potential is there, but I can't seem to shake the memories of the PSP and it's god-awful software line-up. It had very few "must have" games over it's lifespan...a bunch of "goods" and very, very few "greats" (and this is from a day one early adopter). It's not really Sony's fault...just personal preference. Most of their exclusives bore me to tears. Uncharted? Killzone? Little Big Planet? Not even remotely interested.

Get a functional, sweet-looking, online FPS on there and we'll talk. Make use of those dual analogs! A few A-list RPG's please? How about a Dragon Quest that finally breaks its DS shackles and goes forward graphically instead of backwards? These possibilities are exciting...not the boring crap they've shown so far.

SpaceHarrier

01-29-2011, 07:33 PM

Dual analogs... yeah that's cool. Still positioned in the wrist-shattering/carpal-tunnel syndrome inducing location UNDER the D-pad.... ugh. I love my PSP and have used it far more hours than my DS, but have to restrict myself at the moment based on the pain I experience playing it.

Console quality on the go (from both camps) is just too cool though. NGP - there better be a TV out!

The 1 2 P

01-29-2011, 07:50 PM

It looks like a more than adequate machine but I'm not exactly sold on it. As for those wondering what the price will be, Sony has said that there will be multiple skus of the NGP at launch. This means that there will be more than one price. If I had to guess I would say that the prices will start at $300 and go up to $400. All models will have built in wifi but not all will have built in 3G.

Sony is now determining what they feel will be appropriate pricing for their system. While $300 is expensive the feature set pretty much requires it to atleast be this much. And even then Sony would still be losing money. The higher end models(which I'm still speculating will go for $400) will sell out at launch but after that it's going to be another long slow burn because people really won't won't to pay that much for a portable. But as we get closer to launch the rest of the details will continue to get worked out.

What I'm curious about is how much they will charge for their games. Some Psp games already go for $40 and since Nintendo is rumored to be charging between $40-50 for 3DS games Sony might actually charge the full $60 console game price for NGP games.

heybtbm

01-29-2011, 07:58 PM

Sony might actually charge the full $60 console game price for NGP games.

I see $59.99 as very likely. The biggest factor in game prices is development cost...and since these are essentially equal to current-gen PS3 games, I don't see why they wouldn't charge the same price initially.

megasdkirby

01-29-2011, 08:07 PM

What I find interesting is what if there is yet another console price reduction? From the $300 price tag to $250?

If this happens and Sony announces the PSP2 at $300 or more, many will ponder "Why in the world get a PSP2 for $300, if I can have something BETTER for $250!". This can be detrimental to the PSP2.

If they make several SKU's, the unit should start with $250 for the basic unit and increase from there. At least make it competitive to the 3DS and PS3, though some may just see this as a way to get the "bigger" consoles and not the handhelds.

I woud love to get a PSP2, but the price has to be right. I love the original and this seems sweet...I just hope Sony can pull it off to be a success.

exit

01-29-2011, 08:41 PM

I think I'm going to pass on this next generation of handhelds, the PSP was pretty much a disappointment to me and my DS hasn't gotten any love in years. The NGP sounds cool and all, but it will no doubt cost at least $300 and I'm not ready to spend that much on something any time soon.

WCP

01-29-2011, 10:59 PM

I think the chances of this thing being priced more than $349.99 are EXTREMELY slim. If Sony wants to come in with a more competitive price, then $299.99 makes more sense. However.... early on, Sony could be supply constrained, and then I would guess that they would launch at the higher end. If it's a Japan only launch in late 2011, I also could see them coming in at the higher end of the spectrum, and then coming to the US at $299 next Spring.

As for the unit itself, I have a few complaints:

1. Buttons and D-Pad continue to use the same crappy design as on the PSP. Sony uses a glass-like plastic for the D-Pad and buttons, which is quite slippery. At least, it was always quite slippery on the PSP and it looks to be almost indentical.

2. Sony is still using that 4 button D-Pad instead of a true D-Pad, why, I'm not sure. I've never liked the idea of needing to press down on two buttons to try to get a proper diagonal. I have to wonder how easy it will be to play games like Super Street Fighter 4 and the new Mortal Kombat on this. Will you really be able to hit the diagonals like you would want to?

3. Both the face buttons and D-Pad appear to be smaller than necessary. Looking at the high rez photos of the unit, it appears that the D-pad and face buttons might actually be slightly smaller than they were on the original PSP, despite the fact that the PSP2 is actually quite a bit longer (obviously due to the 5 inch screen). I'm guessing that Sony got worried that the length would be too long, so they deliberately made the D-pad and face buttons smaller than normal. Not exactly what I'm looking for considering I don't have super tiny hands.

4. D-Pad and Face buttons still don't rise far enough above the unit itself. Looking at the side shots of the unit, I think the D-Pad and Face buttons are too recessed to the unit. They don't rise up far enough to give you the better feel of hitting buttons like you would get on a real controller.

5. The size of the screen, while at first seeming to be one of the biggest selling points, might just make the unit too damn long. It's a relatively thin machine, but damn is it long. Current PSP's could be slid into a pocket but this thing? It's definitely not the most portable thing I've ever seen.

6. No HDMI out? As powerful as this thing is, you'd think that it would have a HDMI output so that you could connect it directly to a huge HDTV. It does have bluetooth capabilities, so you'd think that you could use a DualShock 3 controller with it, (wirelessly), while having the unit connected to a large HDTV. This way, you could essentially use the PSP2 as your one and only gaming device. When you get home, you connect the HDMI cable to it, and grab you're DS3 controller, and kick back on the sofa in front of your 50 inch plasma. If you're going away for the weekend, you bring the PSP2 with you, (along with another HDMI cable in case the hotel's TV has a HDMI input!), lol.

PapaStu

01-29-2011, 11:19 PM

3DS is a no brainer for me. I'll get it because of the sheer number of DS games i've got. A true 3D picross will make my mind asplode.

I neglect my PSP, so i'm not quite as antsy about the NGP/PSP2 and though some of the features (the rear touchpad in particular) if done right could be great I've got a feeling that many of the games are going to be gimicky and thats not a good thing, just like the Wii.

It'll be at least 300. A 3G one will probably be closer to 400.

They've still not said much about the game medium. Are we going to be spending 40-60 bucks for DLC, or some kind of SD card. If its DLC, there is no way i'm spending that on the games and i'll probably pass on the system completely.

I also think that they've gone away from the PSP2 name because it'll make people think that their PSP games will work with it and we know how that helped kill the PSPgo. A new name = new games.

Leo_A

01-29-2011, 11:46 PM

They've talked about the game medium a good bit and confirmed very early on the other day during their presentation that it's not going to be download based like the Go.

It's going to use flash based cartridges with patches, DLC, and saves being written to a rewritable portion of the cartridge.

Frankie_Says_Relax

01-30-2011, 01:55 AM

6. No HDMI out? As powerful as this thing is, you'd think that it would have a HDMI output so that you could connect it directly to a huge HDTV. It does have bluetooth capabilities, so you'd think that you could use a DualShock 3 controller with it, (wirelessly), while having the unit connected to a large HDTV. This way, you could essentially use the PSP2 as your one and only gaming device. When you get home, you connect the HDMI cable to it, and grab you're DS3 controller, and kick back on the sofa in front of your 50 inch plasma. If you're going away for the weekend, you bring the PSP2 with you, (along with another HDMI cable in case the hotel's TV has a HDMI input!), lol.

No need to sell all of that as a reason to fault the system.

All of that is distinctly feasible and as far as I know none of it has been confirmed OR DENIED.

Just because the bottom port isn't a traditional HDMI port doesn't mean that they won't sell a video-out cable that has an HDMI on the TV side of the cable.

And since the PSP Go allows for the use of a Dual Shock controller, I don't see any reason why they'd scrap the functionality on the NGP.

kupomogli

01-30-2011, 02:19 AM

Like others have said, it depends on the price and game library of whether I will get the system or not, and really if I think the system is worth paying that much. Like with the 3DS, I don't really feel that it's worth $250 even with Mega Man Legends 3 that I'm interested in because really what are we getting? Just a 3D gimmick added to the system. I'll be buying one for sure but I'll need to see some more releases.

With the NGP, being that it has two analog sticks with PSP compatibility I'm already fairly interested. When playing PSP games, the second analog stick basically controls the Dpad, and while some games use the Dpad to move the character and the analog to rotate the camera, the option is always there to swap the settings. Here's a video of Monster Hunter Portable 3rd as an example, though I'd recommend muting the volume.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scD0gsGDxcU

With game releases on the NGP, the only one I'm actually interested in is Uncharted. I like the series, plus it's being made by Sony Bend, the same people who made the Syphon Filter games for PSP. Supposedly a new game as well rather than a port. From the gameplay video it looks really good and it also does a great job at showing the new features of the system, although I'm sure and hope, that those features can be turned off after the initial wow factor has hit.

It was a smart move adding touch screen to the device because literally everyone loves touch screen based gameplay now days. They took it a step further and added the touch sensor in the back to add another unique gameplay feature. While I see it as a gimmick, who knows how developers will end up utilizing all the features. Then to just have everything that the 3DS has(aside from 3d,) they also added a camera on the front and back(no need for two cameras as it doesn't have 3d.) Then Six axis was added which is one feature that I never thought we'd see on it, but once seeing it in action on the NGP, I think it's actually better to have six axis on a handheld over on the PS3. A game like Motorstorm for example when turning the screen, you know exactly how far your vehicle will attempt to turn . It's not like on the PS3 where six axis was more of a frusturation than it was as a unique gameplay device. Though it may be a bad idea because what happens when developers start making games where you need to shake the system.

From a technical standpoint this is the best portable to be released. It's lacking no features another portable has and even has additional features. While those of us moving to the next DS will just get a more powerful DS(with an analog stick,) those of us with a PSP will get a more powerful as well as fully featured PSP. While the NGP may not have the best sales and it may not even get as many good games as the 3DS(which we're not sure until both systems are on the market a few years,) it's no doubt the better system.

I'll say it'll be priced at $299 and $349 for the 3G model. They'll lose money each sale but coming out nine months after the 3DS they don't want to be too much more. I don't think the $50 more than the 3DS matters that much because all everyone looks at is that it's in the $200 range and if customers were to actually compare the systems they might choose the system which you'll be getting much more for your money.

WCP

01-30-2011, 03:03 AM

No need to sell all of that as a reason to fault the system.

All of that is distinctly feasible and as far as I know none of it has been confirmed OR DENIED.

Just because the bottom port isn't a traditional HDMI port doesn't mean that they won't sell a video-out cable that has an HDMI on the TV side of the cable.

And since the PSP Go allows for the use of a Dual Shock controller, I don't see any reason why they'd scrap the functionality on the NGP.

Yeah, that's true. It's possible that it will have a specialized dongle that can attach to it with an HDMI or component connection. I guess I'm just assuming that Sony will drop the ball with that, and if they surprise me by announcing that it will have a high quality video out, along with DualShock 3 support, then it would definitely be a portable that I would strongly consider.

One question about that 960 x 544 resolution, I wonder if alot of TV's will be able to accept that signal and then upconvert it to 720p or something? That could be a problem. The TV that I have right now won't accept certain oddball resolutions from stuff that I hook up to it. If I hooked up something outputting a 960 x 544 resolution, it might not even display a picture on the screen. I seriously doubt that the NGP (PSP2) will have a built-in video scaler for it's video out port.

Leo_A

01-30-2011, 07:13 AM

And since the PSP Go allows for the use of a Dual Shock controller, I don't see any reason why they'd scrap the functionality on the NGP.

The only wrinkle in that are the touch screens. Will they bother implimenting SixAxis/Dual Shock 3 support when it won't be a viable option with every software release? If the touch screens take off like I assume they're hoping they will, I'm not so sure we can count on it.

At least it has real analog sticks this time and not that awful nub.

One question about that 960 x 544 resolution, I wonder if alot of TV's will be able to accept that signal and then upconvert it to 720p or something? That could be a problem.

I assume they've learned their lesson with the good deal of flak the TV/Out feature of the PSP has recieved. I imagine it's safe to assume the system will have scaling capabilities and will be able to output a resolution that can fill up as much of a 16x9 display as possible while maintaining it's correct aspect ratio.

kedawa

01-30-2011, 07:16 AM

There will be no AV output and the 3G connectivity requires an add-on.

They shouldn't be allowed to call it NGP unless it includes an SNK digital thumb stick, which it doesn't.

Other than that and the abysmal battery life, it's going to be pretty sweet.

Leo_A

01-30-2011, 07:21 AM

There will be no AV output and the 3G connectivity requires an add-on.

What's your source, if you don't mind me asking?

I very much doubt this will lack a TV/Out feature. And I doubt 3G connectivity will require an add-on. If anything, there will be two SKU's; one without 3G connectivity at a significantly lower pice and a premium model that includes it.

I'm having trouble picturing this having an expansion bay where you insert some 3G card to enable 3G connectivity on your PSP2.

Of course, I don't know anymore about the details than anyone else here. So I reserve the right to be wrong. ;)

thegamezmaster

01-30-2011, 12:39 PM

So I guess that leaves older psp owners and their umd libraries left out? Or is there something I've missed?

Frankie_Says_Relax

01-30-2011, 01:22 PM

There will be no AV output and the 3G connectivity requires an add-on.

Source please.

Kitsune Sniper

01-30-2011, 01:51 PM

megasdkirby

01-30-2011, 02:01 PM

This could've been so awesome if only it had some way to play UMD games. An add-on or something. Why offer full backwards compatibility if you're not letting people play more than 3/4 of the available software? :|

They (Sony) could possibly find some way to make those who have UMD's be able to transfer the games to the PSP2...for a fee.

Something like paying a fee for a license to download to the console. Once the license is installed for that particular game, you can possibly connect both units and with a program (possibly downloaded for free off the PSN store), the user can transfer the game (possibly an ISO) to the PSP2. Then the console can identify the ISO with the license and let you play it from there.

kupomogli

01-30-2011, 03:07 PM

This could've been so awesome if only it had some way to play UMD games. An add-on or something. Why offer full backwards compatibility if you're not letting people play more than 3/4 of the available software? :|

A UMD drive would make the NGP larger than it already is, which it would have to be an additional size that's slightly larger than a UMD. Systems life span is another issue I'm thinking, as I can no longer play UMDs on either my original PSP or PSP Slim.

Since it reads PSP game data though, shouldn't that mean that signed PSP games would be playable regardless if they're from PSN or not? All we have to do is hope that someone releases a program to sign whatever PSP ISOs to the public.

Kitsune Sniper

01-30-2011, 03:14 PM

I didn't say it had to have a built-in UMD drive. Just some way to let people with a collection to play them without having to pay for them again.

Trebuken

01-30-2011, 04:35 PM

Looks great to me.

I get the sense they aren't aiming to compete with the 3DS, but are aiming to maintain/grow their current audience and to take a bite out of the iPhone/iPad crowd.

TV/Out seems like it should be there; that would make this into the ultimate plug-and-play device.

duffmanth

01-30-2011, 06:33 PM

Leo_A

01-30-2011, 06:43 PM

There will be no AV output and the 3G connectivity requires an add-on.

Two different versions with and without 3G have been confirmed for Europe today, which cast further doubt over your claims that you portrayed as facts.

megasdkirby

01-30-2011, 07:07 PM

I would agree with your comments on the pricing. Anyone hoping this system is gonna be $200-250 is dreaming. It's almost certainly going to be $299-$399 considering the power and features it's going to have. As far as the prices of the games goes, I would say at least $50 considering they're almost PS3 quality titles.

At that price, it will have a hard time selling. Many will not justify the price, no matter how powerful the console is. This was what Sony was expecting back when they announced the PS3 for $600, and the price really hurt sales. It is now that it's selling quite will because it's at an acceptable price.

Hardware wise, it might be worth the price. But it all depends on the consumers, not what Sony wishes.

Games are another factor. They must be around $40 in order to be somewhat acceptable. Pricing them any higher will make consumers wonder: "Why in the hell do I want to spend $50-$60 on a handheld game, if for the same price I can have a PS3/Xbox 360 game?!" I see this type of mentality at work every time.

Sony really has to take a hit in order to stay competitive. They are naive if they think otherwise. But it is Sony we are talking about.

The console should be equal or similar to the 3DS in price, and the games must "make sense". No use buying a $60 PSP2 game if for the same price you can get a "better", bigger version for it's console counterparts (believing that the game is released for both units).

Oobgarm

01-30-2011, 08:31 PM

I'm fairly confident that we'll see a $299-$349 price with $50 games.

wingzrow

01-30-2011, 08:55 PM

Didn't buy the PSP because of the stupid thumb stick. Now that it has two that's half the battle. Now it just needs good games.

kupomogli

01-30-2011, 09:01 PM

Hey Oobgarm, for an easier way to search in the future, can you change the topic to say PSP2 instead of PSP 2. I know you can search through Google(which I forgot how to again) but this way it has the four letter requirement.

retroman

01-31-2011, 01:01 AM

im already sold on it...got to have any system that comes out

duffmanth

01-31-2011, 07:52 AM

If this thing is gonna have all of the features Sony says it's going to have, it's not going to be a cheap system, and people will just have to accept that for the time being. The same goes for the games, they're going to be anywhere from $40-50 I'm sure. Another thing people forget is, you're always going to pay a premium for portability, it costs a lot of money to cram all of that technology into something that fits in your hand. I hope, like most other people though that Sony has learned their lesson from the PS3 and prices this thing so that it's both fair to consumers and they're not going to be taking a huge loss on each system, if such a thing is even possible?

Trebuken

01-31-2011, 08:45 PM

Gamestop is taking preorders. $50 down. They are guessing $299.99 for a price. Also they have a January 12, 2012 release date noted, though that seems unlikely to me.

kupomogli

01-31-2011, 10:38 PM

Gamestop is taking preorders. $50 down. They are guessing $299.99 for a price. Also they have a January 12, 2012 release date noted, though that seems unlikely to me.

I might go to Gamestop and put $299 down on it. Doesn't Gamestop have a preorder price guarantee as long as you pay full price on it? $299 is something I'd pay, but if it's in their error they can't really do anything about it because that was the price they advertised.

CDiablo

02-01-2011, 03:01 PM

I might go to Gamestop and put $299 down on it. Doesn't Gamestop have a preorder price guarantee as long as you pay full price on it? $299 is something I'd pay, but if it's in their error they can't really do anything about it because that was the price they advertised.

Im pretty sure only Amazon has that guarantee. Back OT, does anyone feel that it is outrageous that entry in this upcoming handheld gen will be (most likely including taxes) $300 to $400. Getting into DS(console+game) was <$190 now 3DS will be >$310. I think both companies are pricing themselves out of the market here.

Bojay1997

02-01-2011, 05:22 PM

Im pretty sure only Amazon has that guarantee. Back OT, does anyone feel that it is outrageous that entry in this upcoming handheld gen will be (most likely including taxes) $300 to $400. Getting into DS(console+game) was <$190 now 3DS will be >$310. I think both companies are pricing themselves out of the market here.

Actually, even Amazon doesn't have that guarantee. They only guarantee that if the price goes down between the time when you preorder and the end of the release day, they will give you the lower price or refund the difference if you already were charged on release day. Having said that, Amazon generally honors price mistakes on pre-orders, but Gamestop absolutely will not.

Zama

02-01-2011, 09:15 PM

*Waits for preorder* :puppydogeyes:

NayusDante

02-01-2011, 09:52 PM

As far as the PSP code signing issue, I can't see it being an issue. The NGP will certainly use a different signing algorithm, and content will be signed specifically for the NGP when you download it from PSN. Your purchased games will be on record with your PSN account, so you'll just redownload them on the new unit.

As far as system power, I highly doubt that it will be on par with the PS3. Yes, it can handle the same resources, but at half the resolution. Keep in mind that the PS3's RSX GPU is based on the GeForce 7800. The GPU they picked for this is going to be fine for a 900x500ish screen, and maybe even upscaling to 1280x720 for TV output, but don't expect it to play the demos they've shown at 1080p with playable framerates. Also keep in mind that the CPU on the NGP is a quad-core mobile chip from ARM, not the 9-core Cell from IBM.

The 1 2 P

02-02-2011, 12:14 AM

Back OT, does anyone feel that it is outrageous that entry in this upcoming handheld gen will be (most likely including taxes) $300 to $400. Getting into DS(console+game) was <$190 now 3DS will be >$310. I think both companies are pricing themselves out of the market here.

Despite how much Nintendo and Sony love to talk about how Apple isn't their competitor, they are still getting some of their ideas from their execution of competing products. The ipod was expensive when it first came out but still sold extremely well. And the same can be said for the ipad: high entry price with lots of features and it still sold well. So while it's not the whole part of their plans, I'm sure both Sony and Nintendo factored that in. Plus the tech for the 3DS and NGP cost sufficiently more than that of their predessesors, especially the NGP.

NayusDante

02-02-2011, 08:19 AM

Despite how much Nintendo and Sony love to talk about how Apple isn't their competitor...

What? (http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article7118570.ece)

I was going to put down a preorder on a 3DS, but now I think I'm going to wait until at least the release of Mega Man Legends 3. I don't think we've brought it up here yet, but the "PlayStation Suite" program has me interested. If they're lowering the bar of entry for developers, I'd certainly like to give it a try. Nintendo has gone on record to say that development costs will be higher for 3DS, so I don't see it being very indie-friendly at first.

Icarus Moonsight

02-02-2011, 09:07 AM

DS units were $150 at launch in 2004 (looked it up, corrected) Well...

The purchasing power of $150 in 2004 (aggregated) is equivalent to the purchasing power of $173 in 2010 (aggregated). Rate of change: 15.4%. That's not factoring in a whole quarter of 2011 and also considering government book cooking and the revamped calculation of the CPI index (used to derive the above) in 2009 (which excludes much of nearly anything except imported clothing) and further ignoring the mad Fed print house projects of quantitative easing, it's sequel QE2 and it's near coming QE3 to make it a trilogy. In terms of 2011 purchasing power, the DS in 2004 could feasibly have a temporally adjusted cost parity with the 2011 launch of the 3DS or if you are ultra pessimistic, the NGP by the end of this year.

Imagine juggling all this, while trying to figure out a MSRP while mediating with the psychological cost expectation of most people (in historical terms for a similar device with the rationale that "a dollar in 1989 is still a dollar in 2011") and to somehow manage to turn a profit. Enough to make you want to forget the whole mess, really. @_@

The 1 2 P

02-02-2011, 08:48 PM

What? (http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article7118570.ece)

What indeed (http://www.industrygamers.com/news/nintendo-apple-is-still-not-a-threat/).

kupomogli

06-04-2011, 12:43 AM

Uncharted has since already confirmed a launch title. Wipeout 2048 is probably going to be a launch release.

Wipeout 2048 is going to have everything from Wipeout and Wipeout HD Fury along with 10 extra tracks and 20 different vehicle variants. It can play with up to eight NGP and PS3 players online, so more than likely the PS3 version will also get these extra tracks in a new DLC. Wipeout also has glory moment, kind of lame, but the best thing I can think of when you is to moon your opponents. Flipping them off is too generic of an insult. Then again, I wouldn't do either but it would be cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x9tWVBUJ-A

Anyways. Since E3 2011 is coming soon thought I might bump this.