WipEout HD due 'before the end of the year'

by Alan Tsang { Jul 17th 2008 at 6:15PM }

We haven't heard much from WipEout HD since PlayStation Day more than two months ago. Unfortunately, SCEE president David Reeves just spoke out about it, and informed us that "there is a specific technical problem with WipEout that we have to solve. I can't go into details but it is a really, really tricky technical problem that no region has been able to solve at the moment." Wipeout is an updated version of earlier PSP titles WipEout Pulse and Pure that aims to run at 1080p and 60 fps. Could the technical problem have something to do with getting the game to run at that resolution? Speculation aside, Reeves believes the game will "come out before the end of the year" but cautions that "it is something that was just very difficult to get to grips with." We think it is safe to say we are all looking forward to this title when it is complete.

[Thanks, Freker!]

Tags: scee, wipeout-hd

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

ultima_omega @ Jul 17th 2008 6:21PM

Aaaaagh! It's taking to long!

rafianimates @ Jul 17th 2008 6:23PM

At least now we know.

SSG @ Jul 17th 2008 6:29PM

They probably have to patch up the hole that left the psp vulnerable.

pasteymofo @ Jul 17th 2008 6:30PM

What technical issue could delay a game that's nearly finished from what we saw in preview builds a couple more months? 1080p/60? Online mode? Trophies? Digital Distribution? This news really begs the question. :(

xcrunk @ Jul 18th 2008 9:15AM

Yeah, this is totally freaky and makes no sense at all.

I thought this game was scheduled for a July release.

Something is weird here. Could the game be stressing systems out? Is the online component not working correctly?

wisconsinista @ Jul 17th 2008 6:33PM

Thats funny, the trailer I downloaded from PSN and watch regularly says Summer 2008. Clearly PS3 Fanboy must be wrong. Sony completes their projects ontime. Until Summer 2008, I'll continue to rock the psp versions I guess.

pasteymofo @ Jul 17th 2008 6:54PM

"Clearly PS3 Fanboy must be wrong. Sony completes their projects ontime."

I see what you did there.

Eggy @ Jul 18th 2008 5:42AM

Summer has only just begun though. BELIEVE!

Kspraydad @ Jul 17th 2008 6:32PM

Regional problem...

IE...they are having trouble with world wide servers and 60fps and lag.

They'll either need to put more dedicated servers in each region or region lock the game.

Stoo @ Jul 17th 2008 7:05PM

My immediate thought was netcode as well. Especially given the high speed quick reaction nature of the game.

Maybe its something random like the game is just too damn big for a PSN title.

omf @ Jul 17th 2008 6:35PM

It's good to get some news about it, but "a really, really tricky technical problem that no region has been able to solve" sure sounds mysterious!

Snowman @ Jul 17th 2008 6:50PM

Man I totally forgot about this one. With so much time gone by you really have to wonder how much time, money and effort has really gone into this game.....almost seems like they might have been better off making a PS3 Wipeout from scratch.

Mark @ Jul 17th 2008 6:58PM

So any source for your speculation about the 1080p 60FPS problems? Or did you fancy writing it, safe in the knowledge that the Xbots would spew it across every forum on the planet as the truth...

Nice work, idiots...

pasteymofo @ Jul 17th 2008 7:00PM

"So any source for your speculation..."

Keyword being speculation. Good job comprehending your own writing.

Mark @ Jul 17th 2008 7:00PM

Clearly it's a problem that prevents it being shown at E3, however the studio responsible, clearly know what they are doing, as Formula One Championship was 1080p 60FPS, and I would imagine this game uses the same engine...

My guess is adding trophy and home support....

Darren Tilley @ Jul 17th 2008 9:45PM

Formula 1 Championship edition is 720p @ 30fps. The motion blur does help it look smoother, but it's definitely only 30fps.

BTW.. It's an awesome game regardless of resolution.

DelSource @ Jul 17th 2008 7:00PM

I feel real dirty saying this, but I'm enjoying Fatal Inertia too much to give a damn about this game.

I'm off to take a shower.......

Carlton @ Jul 18th 2008 9:35AM

Scrub hard.

eugene @ Jul 17th 2008 7:17PM

sucks.

Gambit07 @ Jul 17th 2008 7:18PM

Ghost in the Game?

GamerSam @ Jul 17th 2008 7:26PM

I doubt this has anything to do with graphics, as you can always fix the framerate by just reducing polygons, texture resolution, drawdistance etc... that should not take a half year to fix.

The problem is likely the online gameplay, and that sucks because I never care to play games online.

nahworry @ Jul 17th 2008 8:44PM

That's right, there will always have to be compromises to be made when it comes to balancing polygon count, frame rate, textures, and overall speed, and almost every game has to go through this.
But what if the developers are facing, say, endless and unstoppable tearing issues because of the constant twists and turns at high speeds? Tearing seems to be a problem only if the whole scenery is moving, e.g. during camera sweeps, and in a game of Wipeout, the cam is sweeping all the time. Basically, what they would need to do, is to develop another engine altogether, or license and adopt something that's on the market.

Just my 2 cents.

Joe @ Jul 17th 2008 7:41PM

I wonder why Psygnosis did not just make a new Wipeout instead. Also I wonder if Psygnosis will ever make a new Shadow of the Beast. I also would love it to still be a side-scroller game. I also would like a new Colony Wars or may be a new IP from them.

MiserJ @ Jul 18th 2008 9:35PM

There is no Psygnosis. It no longer exists in its old form.... thats why. So no Shadow of the Beast either. I do miss Psygnosis though :(

Hugh Jass @ Jul 17th 2008 9:29PM

This news sucks. I for one would be happy with a non-optimized version now, and a patch later, just to be able to play the game. Bleah.

rgoff31 @ Jul 18th 2008 10:23AM

One of my favorite series and it feels like we have been awaiting forever for it to come out.

Ty @ Jul 18th 2008 2:20PM

More music by MIST! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT

Mike @ Jul 19th 2008 1:04AM

It's a downloadable title anyway - If the problem is online gameplay, why don't they just release the ready-to-go single/split-screen version at a reduced cost, then release an optional multiplayer patch component at a later date. That would make a lot of fans who have been waiting a long time for this game very happy.