A PSP Go was a regular PSP minus the optical drive: same generation of hardware running the same games only you had to re-buy all your existing games. Also Sony has the PSP 3000 that cost the same and accesses the same online store as the Go - Why buy a Go when the regular PSP does the exat same stuff. This is something new and something different. I'd be very surprised if existing PSP games worked on it. It is basically a new generation of Playstation hardware.
But if the drawback of the Go was that you had to rebuy all your existing games, and the new phone has no backward compatibility at all, doesn't that add the whole chicken egg of game development vs. installed user base? I can't see wanting a phone encumbered with game hardware for a platform that may or may not have much available for it.
And I can't see a lot of Android developers going out of their way to make "Android Station" games for a single phone, so I'm not sure what Sony intends. Maybe a new class of game that's more in line with the iPhone price structure? But that's a turnoff for "real gamers", right, the sort of people that don't have much use for "casual gaming" and all?
So I get the newest PSP which is also a phone but none of my existing games or accessories work, and the game catalog is thin, and maybe Android games work but not very well with the included game control hardware. And maybe games cost quite a bit, maybe not.
It seems like a kind of huge hassle just to get that control surface.
You've already got games on the Android and Apple App Stores. What's the point of a dead handheld gaming platform (PSP) tied to a phone?
it's an answer to a question no one asked.
There are 62 million PSPs sold as of this year worldwide. I would hardly call that a "dead" platform. Dying and being replaced as our Android and iOS devices get more and more capable I would buy.
Personally, I would consider a platform dead only if the developers stop supporting it. This doesn't seem to be the case for the PSP for the time being.
But if the drawback of the Go was that you had to rebuy all your existing games, and the new phone has no backward compatibility at all, doesn't that add the whole chicken egg of game development vs. installed user base? I can't see wanting a phone encumbered with game hardware for a platform that may or may not have much available for it.
But that happens with every new generation of gaming hardware. The install base always goes back to zero.
Quote:
And I can't see a lot of Android developers going out of their way to make "Android Station" games for a single phone, so I'm not sure what Sony intends.
Sony are probably going after EA, Activision, etc for content.
My dad had a new PSP-Go for 2 months, then sold it after seeing it's graphical difference with games compared to my iPhone.
I really expected something better with the PSP, but the display and graphics really looked bad compared to the display and graphics of my iPhone...and I've got an "old" 3G...
The problem with the PSP is that it's a little big. Still pocketable in a jacket but meh. The PSP Go is smaller but hey you still gotta have a phone and now you have all these useless UMD games you gotta rebuy...non-starter. Better off buying an iPod touch to replace your old iPod and get access to another set of games.
A PSP android phone on the other hand is one less device to haul around if you happen to like the kind of games that appeared on a PSP and not on the DS or Touch and you need a phone.
Call it elitist but having physical controls is an advantage for some games. The tactile feedback is useful.
The catch is most of the kids in our family still don't have a data plan. That's another $25 or whatever per kid/month. In our immediate extended gaggle that's 14 kids of which 10 have PSPs, DS, and touches.
So probably the other thing the PSP Phone needs is a family/kid friendly data plan or the option to go wifi only with just voice and text service.
I think you are right but missing the bigger picture from Sony's perspective. Let's say this device launches does indeed take off for Sony Ericsson and they manage to sell at 2+ million a quarter, shouldn't be too hard considering it has great specs, Android Gingerbread, and Playstation all wrapped together. They'd have added 8 million new PSP gamers, not including whatever sales from the PSP-3000 and dismal PSP-Go. Thats with fairly modest sales. If Sony Ericsson goes all out, on every major carrier world-wide like Samsung did with the Galaxy S, they could be moving maybe double that number a year. For Sony, it means more sales, and more royalties from game developers on titles they develop.
If Sony Ericsson adopts the same model Apple has with iOS iPhone/iPod Touch, which is ONLY DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION AND HARDWARE it could be a smash hit. Imagine the implications for the PSP2? A 299 top tier gaming platform running Android underneath possibly (rumor and pictures has it that its going to have a touch screen and slider form) and a 199 on contract device that runs the same exact games and have near identical hardware.
That is assuming, the thing even sells at all.
but ... serious gamers don't want another expensive two year contract for anything. many already pay for XBox Live. their games cost a lot. and they all already have some other smartphone on contract. there is just no room in that market for a phone device (except no-contract products with VOIP).
and Sony Ericsson is not a game company. it is looking for something to save its smartphone business. it's getting killed in the commodity smartphone market by everyone else, while switching from the doomed Symbian to Android. a game phone of any kind for such a slow-building niche market is not going to save it. nothing may save it, and a breakup is likely coming fast.
Comments
A PSP Go was a regular PSP minus the optical drive: same generation of hardware running the same games only you had to re-buy all your existing games. Also Sony has the PSP 3000 that cost the same and accesses the same online store as the Go - Why buy a Go when the regular PSP does the exat same stuff. This is something new and something different. I'd be very surprised if existing PSP games worked on it. It is basically a new generation of Playstation hardware.
But if the drawback of the Go was that you had to rebuy all your existing games, and the new phone has no backward compatibility at all, doesn't that add the whole chicken egg of game development vs. installed user base? I can't see wanting a phone encumbered with game hardware for a platform that may or may not have much available for it.
And I can't see a lot of Android developers going out of their way to make "Android Station" games for a single phone, so I'm not sure what Sony intends. Maybe a new class of game that's more in line with the iPhone price structure? But that's a turnoff for "real gamers", right, the sort of people that don't have much use for "casual gaming" and all?
So I get the newest PSP which is also a phone but none of my existing games or accessories work, and the game catalog is thin, and maybe Android games work but not very well with the included game control hardware. And maybe games cost quite a bit, maybe not.
It seems like a kind of huge hassle just to get that control surface.
It'll also be DOA.
Hardly worth discussing.
You've already got games on the Android and Apple App Stores. What's the point of a dead handheld gaming platform (PSP) tied to a phone?
it's an answer to a question no one asked.
There are 62 million PSPs sold as of this year worldwide. I would hardly call that a "dead" platform. Dying and being replaced as our Android and iOS devices get more and more capable I would buy.
Personally, I would consider a platform dead only if the developers stop supporting it. This doesn't seem to be the case for the PSP for the time being.
But if the drawback of the Go was that you had to rebuy all your existing games, and the new phone has no backward compatibility at all, doesn't that add the whole chicken egg of game development vs. installed user base? I can't see wanting a phone encumbered with game hardware for a platform that may or may not have much available for it.
But that happens with every new generation of gaming hardware. The install base always goes back to zero.
And I can't see a lot of Android developers going out of their way to make "Android Station" games for a single phone, so I'm not sure what Sony intends.
Sony are probably going after EA, Activision, etc for content.
I really expected something better with the PSP, but the display and graphics really looked bad compared to the display and graphics of my iPhone...and I've got an "old" 3G...
A PSP android phone on the other hand is one less device to haul around if you happen to like the kind of games that appeared on a PSP and not on the DS or Touch and you need a phone.
Call it elitist but having physical controls is an advantage for some games. The tactile feedback is useful.
The catch is most of the kids in our family still don't have a data plan. That's another $25 or whatever per kid/month. In our immediate extended gaggle that's 14 kids of which 10 have PSPs, DS, and touches.
So probably the other thing the PSP Phone needs is a family/kid friendly data plan or the option to go wifi only with just voice and text service.
I think you are right but missing the bigger picture from Sony's perspective. Let's say this device launches does indeed take off for Sony Ericsson and they manage to sell at 2+ million a quarter, shouldn't be too hard considering it has great specs, Android Gingerbread, and Playstation all wrapped together. They'd have added 8 million new PSP gamers, not including whatever sales from the PSP-3000 and dismal PSP-Go. Thats with fairly modest sales. If Sony Ericsson goes all out, on every major carrier world-wide like Samsung did with the Galaxy S, they could be moving maybe double that number a year. For Sony, it means more sales, and more royalties from game developers on titles they develop.
If Sony Ericsson adopts the same model Apple has with iOS iPhone/iPod Touch, which is ONLY DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION AND HARDWARE it could be a smash hit. Imagine the implications for the PSP2? A 299 top tier gaming platform running Android underneath possibly (rumor and pictures has it that its going to have a touch screen and slider form) and a 199 on contract device that runs the same exact games and have near identical hardware.
That is assuming, the thing even sells at all.
but ... serious gamers don't want another expensive two year contract for anything. many already pay for XBox Live. their games cost a lot. and they all already have some other smartphone on contract. there is just no room in that market for a phone device (except no-contract products with VOIP).
and Sony Ericsson is not a game company. it is looking for something to save its smartphone business. it's getting killed in the commodity smartphone market by everyone else, while switching from the doomed Symbian to Android. a game phone of any kind for such a slow-building niche market is not going to save it. nothing may save it, and a breakup is likely coming fast.