psp posts (Subscribe to this feed)

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.!]

Gran Turismo PSP bundle arrives October 20 for $200

by Andrew Yoon { Sep 2nd 2009 at 4:14PM }

Click to embiggen.

SCEA has announced yet another addition to its growing lineup of PSP "Entertainment Pack" bundles. The upcoming Gran Turismo pack joins Rock Band Unplugged and Hannah Montana this October by packaging a "Mystic Silver" PSP-3000 with a UMD copy of Gran Turismo, downloadable white Corvette ZR1, 2GB Memory Stick, and vouchers for movie and music downloads from the PlayStation Store and Sony Music Pass.

At $199, the limited edition bundle seems like quite a bargain, especially when you consider how much cheaper it is than a PSP Go. The announcement of yet another PSP-3000 package reaffirms Sony's stance on supporting UMD as a format -- but also places into doubt the viability of ending PSP piracy any time soon.

Gallery: Gran Turismo PSP

Japan to get limited edition Gran Turismo PSP bundle

by Andrew Yoon { Aug 18th 2009 at 10:00PM }

Although the PSP Go is ready for the masses, Sony isn't giving up on the PSP-3000. No, Sony Japan is actually releasing even more colors for those that don't want (or can't afford) the all-digital PSP Go. The "Gran Turismo Racing Pack" will include a special limited edition black PSP-3000 with a very subtle GT logo on its front. (Really, look for it.) The bundle will also include Gran Turismo on UMD and special Polyphony Digital-inspired accessories, like a strap and pouch. No price has been revealed yet, but we guess Sony didn't want to announce everything in just one day, right?

A tiny glance at PSP Minis, Digital Comics

by Andrew Yoon { Aug 18th 2009 at 5:59PM }

Sony had two big announcements for the PSP at GamesCom today. First up was the "PSP Minis" service, which opens the platform to bite-sized, iPhone-esque applications under 100MB in size. Launching the same day as the PSP Go, the service will greatly expand the content available on the PlayStation Store. The initial lineup of games, seen in the video above and gallery below, include a variety of little-known titles like Break Quest, Melody Bloxx, Circles, Flexis, Puzzle Scape, Sudoku, Tetris, Zombie Tycoon, Little Track. This is but a small sampling of the Minis' launch lineup.

Additionally, Sony made the Digital Comics service for the PSP official. The first announced partner is Marvel, but many more are to be announced in the future. In a chat with Eric Lempel, we found out that details like pricing and placement on the XMB are still being determined. You can check out a video of the service after the break.

Gallery: PSP Minis

Continued →

Turquoise, Lilac and Pink PSP-3000s hit Europe in November

by Richard Mitchell { Aug 18th 2009 at 2:05PM }

At GamesCom 2009, Sony has announced that it plans to bring three new PSP-3000 colors to Europe. The new colors will be "Turquoise" blue, "Lilac" purple, and "Blossom" pink. We're already familiar with the lilac PSP, thanks to its Girlz Play Too campaign. The other two are brand new colors (and not to be confused with the carnival colors that were released in Asia earlier this year). The turquoise PSP will be bundled with LittleBigPlanet, while the lilac PSP will be bundled with Hannah Montana, just like the US version.

European girlz can finally get their hands on one this November.

Seen@GamesCom: Hating expensive Sony products

by Alexander Sliwinski { Aug 18th 2009 at 6:00AM }

In the shadow of Sony's hotel in Cologne, Germany, a street ad displays a rather good deal. Electronics retailer Saturn is urging passersby to pick up a PS3 and a PSP for €399 -- not a bad deal, considering the PS3 costs that much on its own. Now we understand Saturn's tag line! "Wir hassen teuer," as in, "We hate expensive."

Of course, who knows if that deal will remain as hot within the next few hours, when Sony has its press conference on the eve of GamesCom. It's widely speculated that the company will announce a PS3 Slim and a possible price drop.