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PlayStation brand celebrates 15th anniversary

by Andrew Yoon { Dec 3rd 2009 at 1:00PM }

What does 15 years of PlayStation look like? Sony Computer Entertainment Japan has opened a brand new site celebrating the legacy of the PlayStation platform, featuring a timeline of Sony's major gaming hardware releases, beginning with the launch of the original Japanese PlayStation on December 3rd, 1994. Sony's handheld holds a majority of those dotted events, with every version of the PSP (from the 1000 to the Go) represented.

The "15" year logo is a fun potpourri of various accessories released throughout the brand's history. In addition to SingStar microphones and Buzz! controllers, you can see Sony playing homage to UMD, PocketStation and rubber ducks -- stars of the initial tech demos for both PS2 and PS3.

[Thanks, tmacairjordan87]

PSP firmware 6.20 now available

by Andrew Yoon { Nov 18th 2009 at 11:50PM }

Not to be overshadowed by its bigger brother, a new PSP firmware has gone live tonight. Update 6.20 adds the ability to export video and photo playlists from an updated version of Media Go. However, the biggest addition to this update is the PlayStation Network Digital Comics Reader in a new "Extras" section of the XMB. While the Reader can be downloaded tonight, the service won't go live until December in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. Japan will be getting a manga service slightly earlier. French, Italian, German and Spanish stores will follow in early 2010. Here's the full change log:

The importing of playlists from the Media Go application is now supported under [Video].
The importing of playlists from the PlayStation 3 system or the Media Go application is now supported under [Photo].
The [TV] category has been integrated into the new [Extras] category in the XMB menu. Compatible models: PSP-2000, PSP-2005, PSP-3000, PSP-N1000, PSP-N1005

Gallery: Digital Comics (PSP)

Hands-on: Blu-ray Digital Copy for PSP

by Andrew Yoon { Nov 18th 2009 at 8:30PM }

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has finally debuted the first batch of Blu-ray discs that take advantage of Digital Copy for PSP. With this feature, people that own both a PS3 and a PSP will be able to copy a portable version of a movie directly from a Blu-ray disc to Sony's handheld. Well, almost directly.

There are a few steps you must take to activate the PSP copy. When you insert the Blu-ray disc into the PS3, you'll see two icons appear on the XMB, one that allows you to store a SD version of the movie to your PS3 hard drive. You must be logged on to the PlayStation Network and then enter a unique 12-digit code included with the disc. Once the activation process is complete, a 2GB file will transfer to your PS3. You can watch this movie on the hard drive (but why would you when you have the Blu-ray disc?), or you can copy it over to the PSP -- a process which takes about five minutes total.

The video quality of the "Digital Copy" is fantastic, especially on the PSP's smaller screen. Unfortunately, the initial batch of movies leaves a lot to be desired: Godzilla (the 1998 American version), The Ugly Truth and Angels & Demons. Hopefully, SPHE will start implementing the feature on some ... y'know, good movies in the future.

Here's the requisite Kingdom Hearts PSP

by Andrew Yoon { Nov 17th 2009 at 5:15PM }

Every major Square Enix release comes with a limited edition hardware bundle in Japan. The upcoming PSP-exclusive Kingdom Hearts prequel is no different. This Birth by Sleep silver PSP-3000 will be available on January 9, 2010 for ¥22,000 (about $250). Unlike other LE bundles, this package only contains the branded PSP system you see above and a copy of the game.

We're a little disappointed that Square and Sony didn't make a special edition PSP Go bundle, as that's something we'd love to see. Perhaps that's being set aside for when Square Enix finishes its other big PSP games: The 3rd Birthday and Final Fantasy Agito XIII.

Continued →

Survey reveals potential new colors for PSP Go

by Andrew Yoon { Nov 11th 2009 at 8:00PM }

Handhelds have a penchant for donning new colors, and the PSP Go is likely to be no different. A Destructoid reader was invited to take a survey conducted by UK marketing firm Research Now. The survey pictured a number of colors, including the already-available Piano Black and Pearl White systems. Some of the colors catch our eye, like Bright Red and Blue -- but colors like Lemon and Coral look a bit too much like urine and vomit, respectively.

Of course, new colors don't really matter without the appropriate software. We wonder if anything will ever be able to dethrone the best PSP bundle ever.

Third parties not required to release PSP games on PlayStation Store

by Andrew Yoon { Oct 16th 2009 at 9:15AM }

What do Undead Knights, Naruto Shippuden: Legends: Akatsuki Rising, NBA 2K10, Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes and Cars: Race O Rama have in common? All of these are PSP games released on UMD after the PSP Go's October 1 launch -- and all are currently without a digital equivalent. Owners of the Go system are unable to play these games because they simply aren't available on the PlayStation Store.

Once again, Sony's hands-off approach to the PlayStation Network means third parties are responsible for getting their content on both UMD and the PlayStation Store. "It's up to individual third parties to decide if and when to publish their UMD releases on PSN. Most, if not all, are on board, as this is a revenue opportunity for them," we were told by Eric Lempel, SCEA's director of PlayStation Network operations. Namco, the one publisher that returned our request for comment, noted specifically that "there are currently no plans to release Akatsuki Rising on PSN right now," despite its October 6 release on UMD.

We highly encourage Sony to make simultaneous digital releases of PSP games a requirement for publishers, not merely a suggestion. The company previously issued a mandate for PS3 games to include trophies in 2009 -- a similar policy must be enforced on the PSP. Without it, there's no guarantee that all future PSP games will ever be playable on the PSP Go.

Siliconera breaks down PSP game prices: PSN vs. Amazon

by Alexander Sliwinski { Oct 2nd 2009 at 4:15PM }

Siliconera has gone through the effort of taking all the PlayStation Store's digitally distributed PSP game prices and comparing them to the current cost for a UMD hard copy through Amazon. The list is eye-opening, with the prices shifting -- sometimes dramatically -- between which retail outlet offers the better price. It should be noted that third-party retailers selling through Amazon, which are used for some of the prices in the list, can seriously skew results (especially with the shipping cost added). Sony had previously mentioned it seeks to maintain "pricing parity" between its digital and boxed titles.

Go over to Siliconera to check out the full list. Oh, and if you'd like to see comparisons to retailers other than Amazon, why not offer your research services to them.

Sony America scraps UMD-to-PSP Go conversion plans

by Griffin McElroy { Sep 25th 2009 at 12:21PM }

Sony director of hardware marketing John Koller mentioned shortly after the E3 "reveal" of the PSP Go that the company was considering a "good will program," which would allow UMD owners to trade in their physical games for digital versions. However, yesterday at the Tokyo Game Show, an SCEA spokesperson told Kotaku, "We were evaluating a UMD conversion program, but due to legal and technical reasons we will not be offering the program at this time."

That's quite a blow to the base of American PSP owners with large libraries of UMD titles looking to upgrade to a PSP Go -- a blow significantly worsened by the European "PSP Go Rewards" initiative, which grants three free games to PSP Go purchasers who register for the promotion using an older PSP model. This same promotion will not be coming to the US. "SCEA region will not offer a UMD rewards program at this time," due to the fact that the company has a "dual-platform strategy," an SCEA spokesperson has explained to IndustryGamers.

Ironically enough, we have a "we'd rather not purchase our PSP games again to play them on a new version of your handheld" strategy going for us. It's working out pretty well so far.

Original PSP to get 15% price cut ... in Japan

by Richard Mitchell { Sep 24th 2009 at 4:15PM }

Sony may have been busy talking up the PSP Go (and its ridiculous accessories) during TGS, but it looks like the company hasn't forgotten the Go's older brother. Beginning October 1, the original PSP will receive a fifteen percent price drop in Japan, lowering the price to ¥16,800 (~$185). While it might seem a little strange for Sony to lower the price of the PSP just prior to the launch of the already overpriced PSP Go, Bloomberg rightly points out that the cut will place the PSP at a lower price than Nintendo's monstrously successful DSi.

For now, the price cut remains exclusive to Japan. Joystiq has contacted Sony to find out whether it plans to share the love with the rest of the world.

[Via Engadget]

PSP Go upgrade incentive rewards 3 free games to UMD owners

by Griffin McElroy { Sep 24th 2009 at 11:20AM }

Sony has finally figured out how to incentivize the UMD-less PSP Go for those who possess a towering library of tangible titles for the original models of the device. The company recently announced the "PSP Go Rewards" program for European territories, which offers three free games to anyone who registers the flip-screened handheld before March 31, 2010. To access these titles, users must first connect their older PSP models (which must have a UMD in the drive) to the PlayStation Network, and activate the promotion.

The full list of 17 titles, which users can choose their three free games from, is posted after the jump. No, Pocket Pool isn't on there. We know! It's like, what's the point, right? We've contacted Sony to see if the same promotion is coming to North America, and whether this unforgivable oversight will be fixed on its way over.

Continued →

PSP Comics service gets support of all major Japanese publishers

by Andrew Yoon { Sep 24th 2009 at 9:45AM }

ASCII Media Works, Bandai Visual, Enterbrain, Fujimi Shobo, Futabasha, Hakusensha, Kadokawa Group, Kodansha, Shogakukan, Shueisha and Square Enix -- these names may not be too familiar to those outside of Japan; but within Japan, they represent the entirety of the massive manga (comics) industry.

Starting December, the Japanese PlayStation Store will be updated with new content from all of these publishers, with titles including Bleach, Evangelion, Detective Conan, Fullmetal Alchemist and more. A lineup like that would certainly entice many of us at Joystiq, but America will have to stick with downloadable Marvel comics for now.

Stop and look at PSP Go's ridiculous Converter 'Cable'

by Andrew Yoon { Sep 24th 2009 at 3:30AM }

Click to make fun of it.

As we discovered at E3 earlier this year, the PSP Go isn't compatible with your current PSP accessories, including the rarely-used PSP camera. With Invizimals coming to the PSP next year, we wondered if PSP Go owners would miss out on the fun. The good news: Sony's figured out a solution. The bad news? It looks like the picture you see above.

"With the new Converter Cable Adaptor, PSPgo users will be able to utilize the existing peripherals for PSP," Sony announced at Tokyo Game Show today. Peripherals like the 1Seg Tuner and GPS Receiver will be able to fit in the Go's proprietary "Multi use connector." Looking at the picture, this "cable" will wrap around the system, letting PSP Go owners plug new devices atop the system. Considering it adds a significant amount of bulk to the system, doesn't this conversion defeat the portable aspect of the Go entirely?

Gallery: PSP Go Converter Cable

Sony to maintain 'pricing parity' for downloadable PSP games

by Andrew Yoon { Sep 23rd 2009 at 12:00AM }

Is it wrong to expect a downloadable game to be priced lower than its boxed retail equivalent? The cost of sending information through the intertubes seems much cheaper than packaging a plastic disc and shipping it halfway across the world. Yet somehow, WipEout Pulse costs $5 more on the PlayStation Store than on Amazon.com. This isn't an isolated case, though. Capcom Classics Collection Remixed is also $5 cheaper to buy at retail than as a download. Hot Shots Golf Open Tee 2 is $6 cheaper at Best Buy than via PSN.

While the PlayStation Store is simply offering games at normal retail price, many retailers engage in price wars to gain the loyalty (and dollars) of consumers. Unfortunately, owners of the digital-only PSP Go will never be able to benefit from actual retail pricing, as SCEA's Eric Lempel told Destructoid that "we have pricing parity right now, and it is part of our strategy."

In Japan, PSN downloads have been customarily slightly cheaper than retail equivalents. Unfortunately, Lempel isn't open to the idea. "We'd like to keep it that way, keep a level playing field, and again, there's not that much more to say on that topic." We'll see if Sony changes its tune should consumers end up not paying $250 for a system that only plays what they see as overpriced games.

PSP minis lack network features for fast approval time

by Kevin Kelly { Sep 17th 2009 at 2:20PM }

Speaking at Austin GDC, Justin Cooney from Sony Computer Entertainment spoke about the upcoming PSP minis program to a crowd of developers eager to start creating games and applications for the system. They promise an extremely fast process to get onto the PlayStation Network: no stage one or two approvals, and very light Q&A. They're hoping to average three to five days for approvals, which contrasts with up to two weeks for normal-sized PSP games.

The minis program is also fairly limited. You can't develop network or online features for it (goodbye multiplayer), it doesn't support DLC, and you can't use it to work with peripherals. Developers will also have to have their game approved by the ESRB, which costs money. You can also release your titles in all three territories, but you need to sign agreements with each territory (North America, Japan, Europe) in order to do so.

Sony is definitely taking an iPhone App Store approach to this process, and Cooney himself dropped the iPhone name a few times. We're wondering if they've considered that there are over 20k games now on the App Store, and if they've prepared themselves for the onslaught and how they'll be devoting a lot of time to minis approvals. So, look for PSPFart to be available for download sometime soon.

Gallery: PSP and PS3 at Austin GDC

PSP Firmware 6.00 goes live, hints at game rentals

by Andrew Yoon { Sep 10th 2009 at 1:00AM }

PSP Firmware 6.00 is now available for those adventurous enough to click on Network Update from the XMB. The changelog, copied in full below, may look rather uninspiring at first:

Games can now be grouped and displayed in folders based on their expire date under [Game].
Under [Settings], [Network Update] has been changed to [System Update]. Under [System Update], you can now choose how to update the system software.
The number of colors that can be selected under [Settings] > [Theme Settings] has been increased.
Revisions to strengthen security have been added. (Internet Browser)

While additional XMB colors will excite few, the mention of "expire dates" for games sounds rather surprising. PSP currently supports time-based licenses for video rentals. However, applying the same rules to games hasn't been done before. Earlier in the year, we discovered plans for a potential games rental service for PSP. Is firmware 6.00 preparing the hardware for a new expansion to the PlayStation Store?

[Thanks, Joshua H.!]