Now then, about those PS3 games on your PSP...

by Nick Doerr { Oct 26th 2006 at 10:30PM }

Sony's head of hardware development for both the PS3 and the PSP, Izumi Kawanishi, sat down with Famitsu magazine to discuss the details of the plaguing question: what's with the connectivity between the PS3 and the PSP... game-wise? Clearly, just viewing the media wouldn't be enough, so... there's got to be more to it than that. Says IGN: "While Kawanishi didn't get into specifics, we imagine the PSP being used just to display game footage sent to it by the PS3 and send back controller data input by the player." Yeah, well, if that isn't a revelation, here's a bit of foresight: Kawanishi purposely created the PSP with a 16:9 display because he had this idea for the future in mind. Good job, Izumi-chan. Can we say that? Of course, you need the 60GB Wi-Fi model of the PS3 to take advantage of this connectivity. Kawanishi didn't really go into whether a USB Wi-Fi connection with the lower-end model will yield the same result, but really, why wouldn't it?

In a similar but mostly unrelated vein, updating your system software will be done via flash media or game/media software -- similar to the PSP system updates. Kawanishi made mention also that the PS3 games will indeed be region-free, so they can be played as-is (although there will be "exceptions"...). So there you have it -- a few questions answered, a couple left. Any plaguing you in particular? We'll keep an eye out for certain ones that pop up often.

Tags: Famitsu, Playstation 3, Playstation3, PS3, PSP, Sony

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

dudeugotnochanceinhell @ Oct 26th 2006 11:49PM

exceptions? Fcuk that. how the hell am i playing a ps3 game with the psps 10 button, one joystiq layout man?! get real.

7r1ck13 @ Oct 26th 2006 11:57PM

Think, maybe mini-games, of shoots of the story, dif lil things like that.. So you can take your game on the road with ya..

For example.. Think of Madden and the MiniCamp/training..

Too much Hype @ Oct 27th 2006 2:12AM

But ummm Sony? Where do I buy my imports... :(

Tom @ Oct 27th 2006 5:34AM

Here's a scenario for you (and who knows? It might actually turn out to be true):

4 players. 4 PSPs. 1 PS3. 1 copy of Resistance: Fall of Man, multiplayer deathmatch.

The players see and control the game on their PSP, in all it's super realistic PS3 glory. No TV is needed. None of that old-fashioned split-screen nonsense that use to give away your position to your opponent.

How does that sound?

Franky Digital @ Oct 27th 2006 9:35AM

@ 4: "How does that sound?"

Sounds like what Nintendo tried with the Gameboy Advance connectivity to the Gamecube: and it failed, miserably. I see no substantial difference in experiences: sure, the PSP is obviously more powerful, but the gimmick is the same.

But hey, gimmicks are accepted now! Thank you, Sixaxis!

Jim @ Oct 27th 2006 10:13AM

It's often been the case that past game systems would have a region code system, and would not play overseas games.

stumpie @ Oct 27th 2006 10:18AM

"we imagine the PSP being used just to display game footage sent to it by the PS3 and send back controller data input by the player"

We imagine....um sounds like more Sony BS on the likes of Emotion engine. It takes more than imagination to bring a feature to the market in functional form. They just never learn do they.