Demise of the PSP

[Suhit Gupta]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.livedigitally.com/2006/08/21/the-demise-of-sonys-psp/' target='_blank'>http://www.livedigitally.com/2006/08/21/the-demise-of-sonys-psp/</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Not long ago, everyone was excited about Sony’s PSP. Why shouldn’t we have been? It’s by far the most technologically advanced handheld device that has ever been conceived. It plays games, music, and movies, and even surfs the Internet when connected to a Wi-Fi hotspot. It’s a very versatile handheld device, one that could have been the biggest thing since sliced bread. But like so many gadgets that have come before, the PSP is currently sitting idle in the closets of its once rabid fan base. The biggest question is why? Peter Redmer, a gaming enthusiast from the Chicago suburbs, is one of many disappointed PSP owners. “I was so excited about the release of the PSP. I scraped together all the loose change I could find, and even traded in some of my older games to get one, but now…"</i><br /><br />I do find this article to be true. While I do still game quite a bit on the device, it has not been the huge music/movie/internet pleasure combining device that I thought it would be. We have all talked about how the UMDs were to a large part contributing to the demise of this awesome technology. Do you think there are other factors? Was it the memory stick issue? What do you feel about the device?

[Vincent Ferrari]

The demise of the PSP can be narrowed down to two factors:

Games: Not enough and the ones that are out aren't all that great. Some exceptions, but most are just rehashes of old PS games. Very little is compelling on the platform. Even Playstation Magazine can't fanboy its way past that. (http://insignificantthoughts.com/2006/08/01/quality-titles-nah/)

Sony: From the proprietary and expensive memory card to the proprietary and not-so-universal UMD to the constant attempts to thwart homebrew programmers, Sony has crippled itself in the portable arena.

It's a great device, but it's nowhere near the ubiquitous kill 'em all device we had hoped for. The price is good, and there's plenty of value in the box, but most of it is potential that's simply not realized.

[sneech]

I love mine. Play games on it daily. Just got back from picking up a 2gb stick for it actually.

There are flaws with the device that the article points out but i've gotten past them and still find enjoyment from the thing.

[Jason Eaton]

I guess I have always looked at the PSP differently then most. To me it has always been a game machine that CAN do other things. First and foremost I bought it to play games. The fact that I could throw a little bit of music on it or some video clips was a bonus.

I will admit that after wipeout and lumines the PSP went into an extreme lull at my house. I lost interest. Then my friend kept pestering me about Dark Mirror, and the demo for Loco Roco. So he lent me his copy and I was renewed.

Now the PSP sits near the couch and keeps me company during my wife’s TV shows. It came out of the battery drain coma and is a superstar again. Looking at the future lists of games I am actually looking forward to some of the remakes like Road Rash and the Capcom collections.

I do admit a lot of the games aren’t appealing to me, and the DS did play a little temptress call… but the black knight is back. The lull was just a flesh wound.

[BugDude10]

I, too, must disagree that the PSP is a failure.

First and foremost, it is a powerful handheld game machine that is currently unmatched in sophistication and power. The DS is cute (and I do enjoy tinkering with my daughter's DS once in awhile), but for serious gaming on-the-go (or in the absence of a readily-accessible PS2 or Xbox or 360), the PSP wins hands-down. New games are coming, and will continue to come, and the selection currently available gives ample variety for any type of gamer.

Next, the PSP is a very capable video-playback device. The hype of the UMD movie experience was clearly exaggerated -- who, really, wants to buy a movie that can be played only on a 4" screen, or wants to buy two copies of a movie, on DVD and UMD -- but for those who know how (or who rely on the simplicity of an application like PQDVD's PSP Movie Creator) it's pretty cool to be able to watch your favorite flick while on the go or lying in bed or whatever.

Similarly, it is very cool to be able to carry a library of photos and tunes with you while on the go. The PSP is nowhere near as compact as an iPoop or other similar DAP, but it plays tunes and displays pictures on the go while also playing near PS2-quality games!

You can also surf the web wirelessly, again, on a nice bright screen. The text-entry mechanism leaves a lot to be desired for serious browsing or e-mailing, but you can do it with the device you brought to play games on or listen to tunes on or watch a movie on.

The beauty of the PSP for me is what it can do on the go. With a big-enough memory card or two, you can take one device that will let you play, listen, watch, and surf, rather than needing two or three or four devices to do so. I think the people who are complaining about what the PSP can't do are missing the bigger picture, which is what it can do. Certainly, the things it does do could be made better -- give us bigger memory cards for carrying more stuff, give us wireless downloading of tunes and videos, give us a keyboard of some kind for web browsing and e-mailing -- but (1) it's getting better all the time, and (2) it's a first-generation product.

I, for one, couldn't be happier with my purchase. I only wish I travelled more so I could more often take advantage of what the PSP lets me do.

Just my $0.02.

[jeffd]

I think psp is a failure for pretty much the same reasons as above.. mainly games. The UMD format I think is fine, infact its more then fine since I dont think anyone else has a media format as small that fits as much data as a UMD. And technicaly the psp rocks. But the games were a major let down...

btw DS isnt any better imo. It looks like crap because of crap hardware. and because of that I dont find the games enjoyable on it.

I like portable devices but imo portable gaming has sucked ever since the original gameboy was "upgraded". Yea right... upgraded. After how many hardware revisions..and it was still less powerfull then a SNES?