Sony to take on Apple with next-gen PlayStation Portable, Android game store

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Comments

  • Reply 61 of 137
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Jcoz View Post


    I agree whole-heartedly.

    Can ANYONE explain why this could be expected to be more "successful" than the PSP?

    How is strategy different whatsoever?



    The PlayStation Suite could end up being a bigger story than the NGP.



    I can't see how the NGP is really any different to the PSP Go, but the PlayStation Suite promises to offer a standardized gaming platform across Android devices and more importantly a "PlayStation Certified license program" which basically sounds like a hardware baseline for Android devices.



    If it actually turns out as rumoured, and if it takes off, that bit of news would be huge for Android. Massive. Much much much bigger than the NGP. (However you probably noticed a few of "ifs" in that sentence)



















    Quote:
    Originally Posted by edge View Post


    Apple never has, doesn't, and never will give two hoots about gaming or gamers.



    That's a brave comment!
  • Reply 62 of 137
    Mostly true, but Infinity blade is much better than anything my Xbox could achieve.
  • Reply 63 of 137
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by palegolas View Post


    Haha, and a few months ago we were led to believe that Apple was buying Sony.



    You were?
  • Reply 64 of 137
    edgeedge Posts: 8member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Firefly7475 View Post


    That's a brave comment!



    It is in one sense, but in another, it's really not. Apple has to care about gaming beyond it's current set of handheld devices, the Mac has languished in gaming exile for years, sure there have been moves in the right direction but Transgaming really isn't the end point.



    Apple has a great media platform, Core Image, Core Audio, Core animation, etc, but has never seemed to be interested in supplying APIs like Direct3D, etc. to augment OpenGL.



    The fact that Apple machines, by default, are typically good-spec, 64-bit by standard, ability to furnish with good resolution and plenty of RAM makes them an ideal fit for gaming, add to this Apple striking a good 'halfway house' balance between constant graphics/pereipheral upgrades and

    the current 5-10yr cycle of games consoles, makes things virtually a no-brainer.



    Currently, to my mind, Apple is only caring about gaming, in so much as it is a nice little earner for them on the App Store.
  • Reply 65 of 137
    jcozjcoz Posts: 251member
    [QUOTE=Firefly7475;1795144]The PlayStation Suite could end up being a bigger story than the NGP.



    I can't see how the NGP is really any different to the PSP Go, but the PlayStation Suite promises to offer a standardized gaming platform across Android devices and more importantly a "PlayStation Certified license program" which basically sounds like a hardware baseline for Android devices.



    If it actually turns out as rumoured, and if it takes off, that bit of news would be huge for Android. Massive. Much much much bigger than the NGP. (However you probably noticed a few of "ifs" in that sentence)



    Right, the biggest being that Sony isn't coming into this to not make money.



    It would be a hit with the kids, but again, development costs vs paying android customers......
  • Reply 66 of 137
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SSquirrel View Post


    You should ignore digital sales, given that no PSP prior to the PSPGo actually had internal storage and access to a digital store. So millions of the ones sold aren't even capable of utilizing those, they just experience shitty battery life running UMDs.



    Wait, what?! As an owner of a PSP-3000, that's just plain wrong. The PSP had digital downloads even before the PSP-3000 came out. Although they didn't have internal storage, they've had Memory Sticks since the PSP-1000 model (how else do you save your game). I have numerous PSP-One games downloaded and installed (FF7, Resident Evil, MGS) on my PSP.



    Did anyone notice this in the main article?

    Quote:

    According to the report, the handheld will utilize a quad-core ARM Cortex A9 CPU. Sony is touting the device's CPU as "the most advanced" in its class, claiming the NGP will be as powerful as the current-generation PlayStation 3.



    So we're to believe that a mobile processor is just a powerful as the much hyped, super-computer-on-a-chip, CELL processor?





    DISCLAIMER: Before I get flamed as a fanboy; I have an iPhone 3GS, iPad, two Mini's, a MacBook, HP EliteBook 8540w, Xbox 360 S, PS3 and Wii in addition to the afformentioned PSP.
  • Reply 67 of 137
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Jcoz View Post


    Right, the biggest being that Sony isn't coming into this to not make money.



    It would be a hit with the kids, but again, development costs vs paying android customers......



    I doubt Sony would charge much for the certification. They would probably take a cut of games sold in the store though.



    Gaming aside. A cross-manufacturer baseline hardware certification for Android devices doesn't sound like news to you?
  • Reply 68 of 137
    whozownwhozown Posts: 128member
    This article is a joke, Sony is just that scared kid on the play ground teaming up with the other nerds in an attempt to fight the big dog on campus. My money is still on Apple.
  • Reply 69 of 137
    donlphidonlphi Posts: 214member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by macFanDave View Post


    Ooh, I'm shaking!



    The Sony brand is now about as cool and relevant as Brylcreem.



    ...a fine pomade, but sure, we get it.
  • Reply 70 of 137
    emacs72emacs72 Posts: 356member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jmillermcp View Post


    So we're to believe that a mobile processor is just a powerful as the much hyped, super-computer-on-a-chip, CELL processor?



    there are several metrics one can use to measure the performance of the CELL. when the processor was first conceived back in 2001 (with specifications finalised in 2005), the CELL was noteworthy for it's time.



    Quote:

    DISCLAIMER: Before I get flamed as a fanboy ...



    the disclaimer is not required. you simply called out a falsehood (regarding digital downloads) and responded with facts.
  • Reply 71 of 137
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Patranus View Post


    I would like to see what the distribution of games sold in apps stores is in terms of "real" games Vs. "time wasters"....



    And what objective criteria are you going to use to determine which are the "real" games and what are the time wasters? To me all games are "time wasters," by definition, but I still play some of them when I need to fill up some time.



    Who are you to tell someone who likes to play a game that it isn't a "real" game?



    Let me guess, "real games" are ones with guns, cars and/or sword fighting in them, that you play on a console right?
  • Reply 72 of 137
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by emacs72 View Post


    the disclaimer is not required. you simply called out a falsehood (regarding digital downloads) and responded with facts.



    Thanks. Wasn't sure to the maturity level of these forums as I have been on the PSN and Xbox forums along with ZDNet and most defensive talk about a competing product usually instigates a flamewar.
  • Reply 73 of 137
    This has a number of problems straight out the gate.



    Firstly, this device itself. With those specs, how long is this thing going to run on battery for? I suspect a very short time indeed unless something astonishing has happened to power technology that us peons don't know about yet. The term 'control creep' seems to exactly sum up my impressions as I read about this thing. Who will buy it? Teenagers will not be able to afford it and it has zero 'cool' as a mobile phone. It's a toy phone, albeit an EXTREMELY good one (as long as you plug it in!). It must be said, if Sony's claims to have PS3 power in a handheld device are accurate, it's quite amazing.



    Secondly, this thing will be far and away more powerful than any other Android smartphone. That means people developing for this PlayStation? Suite thing will have to forgo the extra power of this device and develop for the lowest common denominator hardware or have settings in the app which adds another level of complexity to the programs and only helps so much. Or, developers will develop for this device separately to the other Android PlayStation Suite devices, creating another layer of fragmentation. The only solution is if this certification program they plan to run is gutsy and strict and insists on a level of power similar to this device. If they do that, less fragmentation will occur but all the devices will share an achilles heel - zero battery life.



    All in all this seems like another layer of fluff on top of an already fragmented operating system. Steve Jobs once took apart a Walkman because he was fascinated with its build quality and design. This plastic toy wouldn't fascinate an aspiring future Jobs. That young man will be taking apart iPhones.



    The iPhone hasn't become such a monster gaming phenomenon because it's a good gaming device per se, it's become so because it is the best mobile phone there's ever been by some distance and people already have it in their pockets by the millions AND it's capable of running meaningful, engaging games selling at previously unheard-of prices. Can Sony really match that? Can they get tens of millions of people to adopt this as their phone? Would you want to pull this out of your pocket in front of a girl at a bar? (imagine her rolling her eyes as your chances float away out the window and she silently thinks of a false number to give you lol). Can Sony get games made for $1-$10?



    All that said, I have too much respect for Sony (as an 80s child) to write them off and I will certainly have a go on this thing in Dixons just to see PS3 graphics in my hand. But I won't be buying one.
  • Reply 74 of 137
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dmarcoot View Post


    Mostly true, but Infinity blade is much better than anything my Xbox could achieve.



    Dead Space is not bad too
  • Reply 75 of 137
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jmillermcp View Post


    So we're to believe that a mobile processor is just a powerful as the much hyped, super-computer-on-a-chip, CELL processor?



    CELL is done. It had its time in the sun. Now its just hot and old squeezing out bad, dated, poor-quality, lowly textured aliased graphics. This will infuriate many PS fans, but I have to say Gran Turismo 5 is everything gone wrong with Sony gaming. Any recent PC racing title has better graphics, better physics, etc. I was looking at it as the one title that could tip me over to console gaming. A few minutes trying it out, no sale.



    I've been saying it for a while before the next-gen PSP news. ARM dualcore + decent modern GPU and you've got a PS3 competitor. Apparently Sony thinks so too.



    My inner child cries when I bash Sony, it's just so hard to see how it faded this past decade. It's not going away anytime soon, of course, because the world market is still huge and its products can still sell. But for me, personally, I can't see getting anything Sony anytime soon.
  • Reply 76 of 137
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Carniphage View Post


    I thought this stuff was well known.



    You can look on Wikipedia to compare unit sales of top-selling PSP vs. PS3 titles.

    Sony's game division has been losing money for a few years

    (2006,2007,2008,2009) - and those numbers are public.



    Try googling "Sony game division losses"

    The majority of the losses came from PS3 - but PSP did nothing to reduce that.



    It's not hard to find a list of new PSP titles.

    It's a very short list.



    C.



    Uh, the PSP has sold about half as many units as the DS - definitely not a failure in terms of sales.



    I can't speak to whether it has been a huge moneymaker for Sony, but it has dozens of fantastic games that put most iOS games to shame. They also cost $30 rather than 99 cents, but sometimes you get what you pay for!



    I own and enjoy games on all three platforms but the PSP is a beautiful system that remains my favorite gaming handheld. It has aged so well, it's hard to believe that it came out in 2005.



    Quality matters. If you have a PSP, you should strongly consider some of the great games that came out this past year including Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Ys Seven, Persona 3 Portable, God of War: Ghost Of Sparta, Valkyria Chronicles II. Unlike the DS (which I also like quite a bit), the PSP gives you a console-class experience on a handheld. It also has those "buttons" which the iPhone so annoyingly lacks...



    As much as I like Zelda, Mario, Prof. Layton, etc. on the DS, or Chaos Rings and Carcassonne on the iPad, there's no way I'd give up my PSP!



    Now let's see about this PSP2/NGP: Dual touchpads? 5 inch display with iPhone 4-ish pixel count? Two real analog sticks? Cellular as well as WiFi? Sony exclusives like Uncharted, LittleBigPlanet, Resistance, Ratchet & Clank, Gran Turismo and God of War, not to mention everything on PSN? Sign me up!



    The PSP2 will also be a success in Japan as long as they come out with Monster Hunter.
  • Reply 77 of 137
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Jonamac View Post


    This has a number of problems straight out the gate.



    Firstly, this device itself. With those specs, how long is this thing going to run on battery for? I suspect a very short time indeed unless something astonishing has happened to power technology that us peons don't know about yet. The term 'control creep' seems to exactly sum up my impressions as I read about this thing. Who will buy it? Teenagers will not be able to afford it and it has zero 'cool' as a mobile phone. It's a toy phone, albeit an EXTREMELY good one (as long as you plug it in!). It must be said, if Sony's claims to have PS3 power in a handheld device are accurate, it's quite amazing.



    Secondly, this thing will be far and away more powerful than any other Android smartphone. That means people developing for this PlayStation? Suite thing will have to forgo the extra power of this device and develop for the lowest common denominator hardware or have settings in the app which adds another level of complexity to the programs and only helps so much. Or, developers will develop for this device separately to the other Android PlayStation Suite devices, creating another layer of fragmentation. The only solution is if this certification program they plan to run is gutsy and strict and insists on a level of power similar to this device. If they do that, less fragmentation will occur but all the devices will share an achilles heel - zero battery life.




    Erm..... the NGP isn't a phone, it may have 3G, cameras and a microphone....and there's nothing that confirms categorically that the NGP's OS will be Android. The thing with 'control creep' is that's all well and good in a phone, but as I stated, it's not a phone, it's designed with mobile gaming in my mind.



    The Playstation Suite is an Android app
  • Reply 78 of 137
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by blecch View Post


    Uh, the PSP has sold about half as many units as the DS - definitely not a failure in terms of sales.



    If Sony lost money or broke even, then it's a failure in business terms.



    But that's not to say it's not an enjoyable product...



    Like I say, the NGP will probably offer the best mobile gaming experience of any device. But without a big change in the business model, I don't think that is enough to secure success. The underlying problems which caused the PSP to perform poorly, are unchanged.



    Back in 2005, the Playstation brand was seen as bulletproof. Now not so much. If anything, the games industry is less tolerant of platforms which don't provide a secure way of making money.



    C.
  • Reply 79 of 137
    Just been playing Dead Space a bit on my iPad. The fact that we are seeing triple-A franchises (franchises, obviously not the console ports themselves yet) on iPhone and iPad is something I didn't really expect in 2010 or even early 2011.
  • Reply 80 of 137
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Whozown View Post


    This article is a joke, Sony is just that scared kid on the play ground teaming up with the other nerds in an attempt to fight the big dog on campus. My money is still on Apple.



    I hope the PSP and DS don't die - I find them to be excellent systems for playing games, due to the quality of the games and the presence of physical controls.



    As good as Street Fighter IV may be on the iPhone, it's a lot harder to play well (and enjoy, in my opinion) than Tekken, SoulCalibur or BlazBlue on the PSP, simply because of the lack of real buttons.



    Geometry Wars is painful on the iPhone, and marginally playable on the iPad. With real, dual analog sticks on the PSP2/NGP, it would be flawless.
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