Schild's PSP Countdown Thread

[Strazos]

In my 4 years at college, I have seen a grand total of Two (2) people playing a Gameboy. I just don't see the PSP "revolutionizing" this.

But whatever, you go schild and geek out over the PSP.

But most people listen to music, a grea number of them already had portables before the iPod.

A lot less people play games. A smaller percentage of them are serious gamers. Less of Them use portables. Even less of them, for one reason or another, will be buying a PSP, or even care. Seems like a small sample to me.

I kind of hope it flops...cellphones already annoy, this would be worse....People should try having conversations with the people they are with, instead of fiddling with phones constantly. They don't need to watch movies constantly too.

[Rasix]

Cultural shift? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. 

I've said some fanboish shit in my time, but that needs to be bronzed.

What level are you in WoW? Have you not shifted your life to work around it?

Low blow 4teh win?  The only thing WoW keeps me from doing is playing other games.  So a game that keeps me from playing games.  Doesn't seem too bad from where I'm standing.  Keeps me from being productive here, but I count that as a mixed blessing.

I'll make you eat those words, blasphemer. You just watch. Soon the Gameboy will start losing market share, Nintendo will announce their next GBA since the DS was an utter failure, and then Sony will drop the price on the PSP.

Sony will announce a PSP with a 2-5gig hard drive in it that will barely increase the size of the unit, the next GBA still won't get third party support, and Sony will control a majority of the market.

Eventually the FAA will get rid of the cell phone ban, you'll be able to play your PSP with people on planes - wirelessly.

You think that's going to be the new white cord dangling from people's ears?  A wiser man than myself once said, "common...".

Hey, I think it's a remarkable piece of overpriced hardware(for the market segment) that is above and beyond anything in its market.  It's the new king handheld for dorks like us and kids that can trick their parents into buying one.  It's not going to usher in any sort of cultural epiphany of "hey, fuck the paper, I want to FRAG" or "goddamn Grisham can't write, save me Solid Snake!".  It'll win, but gaming will still be what it is.

Not seeing the cultural shift.  And your response doesn't negate that being one of the most absurd things that ever been said on this site, save utterances from certain neocons.  

[schild]

I kind of hope it flops...cellphones already annoy, this would be worse....People should try having conversations with the people they are with, instead of fiddling with phones constantly. They don't need to watch movies constantly too.

<fanboi>I kind of hope someone uses a hole-puncher on your scrotum.</fanboi>

See, I'm good at fanboi-ing out.

Not seeing the cultural shift.  And your response doesn't negate that being one of the most absurd things that ever been said on this site, save utterances from certain neocons.

So, what happens when you're wrong? I mean, I don't mind being wrong, but you're taking my "predictions" ya know, a little seriously.

Also, that first bit wasn't a low blow. If it was, I would have said "Have you shifted your WEIGHT etc etc." But rather, the fact that what is arguably an EQ clone has taken your time away from other games (since last year) in what is possibly one of the most consistantly good periods of gaming in the last decade, well, I don't think you're one to use all caps to laugh at me.

Just watch the stock tickers and store lines on Thursday. Anyone wanna give me an over/under on amount of time it will take for all the PSPs to sell out?

[Rasix]

Edited: We'll converse after the PSP has been out for a while.  Someone's off his fanboi rocker :)

[schild]

Someone's off his fanboi rocker :)

I've barely started rocking yet. You wait 50 hours right before I go stand in line to pick up my preorder at midnight. It's unfortunate the temperature here is dropping into the 30s on Wed night. Ugh.

[schild]

Bad News:
Archer Macleans Mercury has been delayed to April 4th according to EBgames. Shame, that is.
Death Jr. which never had a hard release date went from April 4th to May 17th.

Good News:
NFSU and Darkstalkers Chronicles have Infrastructure mode.

As more boxes come into EB, I'll be hearing about which ones say infrastructure on the back. The press releases Sony have put out are surprisingly (...seemingly) uninformed.

[Litigator]

Nintendo DS 2005 sales to date = 407,099
Sony PSP sales to date = 536,476. I would venture to guess this is only limited by the number made available.
Source.

Hoss, that's some fuzzy numbers. You're comparing the PSP launch to the DS sales excluding its launch. DS had a big burst at the beginning last November and December, and PSP will hit a lull after the initial frenzy of early adopters.

Anyway, this has nothing to do with DS vs PSP. I'm not sure there is a place in the market for either of them. The DS has a better price point, but the touch screen thing is gimmicky, and it's not clear whether it will evolve into a useful gameplay device. I don't have a DS, and I really like Nintendo. Frankly, I don't expect I'll use either enough to justify a purchase.  

Flat out. I'm comfortable saying you're wrong. And when they sell all million units by the weekend, I won't even have to convince you. Cuz you'll want one too.

I'm not spending $250 on this. I'm not spending $40 each on Twisted Metal and Wipeout games I played three years ago. I'm not buying a port of Gran Turismo so I can play it on a tiny screen. I'm not buying minidisc movies when I have a DVD player.

Even OPM (That's official playstation magazine) knows the PSP was a cut at the throat to Nintendo. As much as Kaz and the rest of Sony play it off like Nintendo isn't a competitor, it's because they know they already have them beat.

I don't think so. I think PSP is too expensive. i think that they created an amazing product that nobody is clamoring for. It's an idea whose time has not yet come.  $250 is too much. Also, it's too damn big and the battery life sucks.

You being a penny pincher doesn't exactly make you the sort of sample size Sony cares about. The average consumer has less money, sure, but he's also willing to blow credit card debt through the roof to get one of these fuckers. I'm confident enough to say that the midnight sale at the Sony Metreon store will look much like a Detroit riot. It will be a viscious pit fight. And it upsets me, people will be playing Lumines before I can.

Sure. most of the stores will sell out their first shipments. I expect that there is a solid contingent of hardcore gamers like you who are clamoring to spend money on this thing.  I just don't think it has much appeal beyond the crowd who will line up at midnight to get a new tech product. At least, it doesn't have that much appeal at $250.  if they play like Microsoft did with Xbox, and slash the price and take a bath on the thing, they will erode Nintendo's market share. If this thing is $149 for Christmas 2005, it will annihilate DS sales, even if Nintendo cuts its price to $99. But if there is a home console you don't have right now, you're better off buying any one of the the 3, rather than a PSP.

[schild]

It'll be $150 by Christmas. I'm sure they're making an assload at the $250 it's at now.

Also, if people will spend $400 on a music player (the original consumer CD PLAYERS only cost around $200 back in the mid 80s) or $250 on a mini shitty music player - they'll spend $250 on a widescreen beast that can hold 3 full movies on a memory stick and play ridiculously good looking games. The unit is just sexy enough to grab hold of the whole market. Don't use your bad taste for basis of what you think will be poor market performance. This time 3 years from now, your cheap ass will have to pony up for an Xbox 360 or PS3 to play the latest Zelda. And if I had my way, the latest Zelda would be made by Irrational or Obsidian. Bitch. 

Don't step in front of a man pushing a lead shopping cart full of fanboi shaped non-released hardware. I've got too much momentum and have lost complete control.

[eldaec]

Also, if people will spend $400 on a music player (the original consumer CD PLAYERS only cost around $200 back in the mid 80s) or $250 on a mini shitty music player - they'll spend $250 on a widescreen beast that can hold 3 full movies on a memory stick and play ridiculously good looking games. The unit is just sexy enough to grab hold of the whole market. Don't use your bad taste for basis of what you think will be poor market performance.

Key logic failures in the above:

- People will spend $400 on a high quality hi fi system, and for a source only, $400 is a very high quality one at that. No one pays $250 for walkman that looks like shit.
- What on earth makes you think people want to watch movies on a handheld device? The one single time I can see that being useful is long haul plane trips. Long haul planes almost all have personal movie screens already.
- Like all playstation products - the physical box looks like ass. It is not nearly attractive enough to be taken seriously at that price point by anyone except a gamer.

It's probably a better handheld game system than the DS. It will take market share from the DS. It will probably also expand the handheld market some by appealling more to students or travellers over the age of 16. Espeicially once $100 has been knocked off the top. It is not a breakthrough device. It will not sell as many units as the ipod.

Because I'm lazy, someone remind me what the options are here for multiplayer? Is it just local area wireless, or is there provision for online stuff?

[schild]

- People will spend $400 on a high quality hi fi system, and for a source only, $400 is a very high quality one at that. No one pays $250 for walkman that looks like shit.

The iPod is NOT a very high quality hi-fi system. It's your above-average Mp3 player. Arguably a PSP is your above-average portable gaming system if you use the GBA as your baseline. Oh, but you can apparently run 3rd party apps from memory sticks (emulators anyone? I didn't think I'd have to spell that out for you people), play games over the net from any hot spot (it even apparently has logins and whatnot for shit with security - according to OPM), and enough bells and whistles to make your head spin. All things considered, I'd sell my ipod for a 2 gig memory stick for my PSP. At first all that space seemed useful. Then I realized I collectively listened to about 50-100 songs in total on the thing.

What on earth makes you think people want to watch movies on a handheld device? The one single time I can see that being useful is long haul plane trips. Long haul planes almost all have personal movie screens already.

Someone seems to want shit like this and this and this. Oh and then there's laptops. I'd rather carry along something small than my laptop with a 17" widescreen. Particularly on short flights. Also, the personal movie screen thing - not quite caught on in America like it has in western Europe and Japan.

Like all playstation products - the physical box looks like ass. It is not nearly attractive enough to be taken seriously at that price point by anyone except a gamer.

I don't know what the box looks like on your side of the pond, but the American box is beautiful (that's the Japanese box art, the American stuff is cleaner, less tacky shit). It looks as good, if not better than an iPod box. This is coming from someone who has owned an ipod for years. Who the hell complains about a box anyway? Isn't the real mission going to be finding a decent case for the damned thing and it's precious weak screen? And wait a moment, the original PS2 came in a big blue box with just PS2 on it in white, right? And the new one came in a white box with black writing...What the hell are you complaining about? No hookers cast in solid gold are going to jump out of the box. I'm sorry.

It's probably a better handheld game system than the DS. It will take market share from the DS. It will probably also expand the handheld market some by appealling more to students or travellers over the age of 16. Espeicially once $100 has been knocked off the top. It is not a breakthrough device. It will not sell as many units as the ipod.

Because I'm lazy, someone remind me what the options are here for multiplayer? Is it just local area wireless, or is there provision for online stuff?

You are far too lazy (as you put it) and completely uninformed to pass judgement the way you have. Go read up on the countless amount of shit on the web. HELL, this thread answers some questions for you. My cereal is not a urinal.

[Kairos]

Man, I need to stop reading about this thing. It's really rather sexy and I would actually quite like one, but I have a hard time justifying spending $400 on that sort of thing (need at least three games, I figure). Curse my responsible nature.

Once it gets down to $150 or so, though, there is no hope for me.

[schild]

For those of you that notice. I'm saving you the time and brain wracking.



It would seem the Japanese one is model 1000. The American one is model 1001. I'm going to assume that denotes nothing more than regional encoding on dvds. Same numbering scheme used on the PSX and PS2 as well.

[schild]

Can we put on our tinfoil hats yet? No, ok, here's this:

I was digging around japanophile sites for any bit of information I could get at 7:10AM. Yes, I'm getting desperate, my stomach is turning, and the sun is trying to kill me. Any way, one of those morons installed the legit but PSP breaking patch (from the news a few months ago) and took screenshots. Here's what it installed:

added the following features
1. voice recognition
2. support for sonicstage paid music service (on MS duo)
3. calculator
4. voice chat
5. 3 PSP internal built-in games?
6. email software
7. wordprocessor and spreadsheet software ?
8. web browser
9. PSP schedule software
10. bug fixes 00
11. bug fixes 002

Mmmm? Voice Chat? Mikey likes it. He really likes it.

[SirBruce]

schild, here's a hint -- when people talk about hardware and complain about "the physical box", they're talking about the case.  Not the cardboard box.  He's saying the case looks like ass.  And not the carrying case, either.  The hard plastic shell that gets wrapped around the circuit board, with buttons and stuff on it.

Bruce

[schild]

schild, here's a hint -- when people talk about hardware and complain about "the physical box", they're talking about the case.  Not the cardboard box.  He's saying the case looks like ass.  And not the carrying case, either.  The hard plastic shell that gets wrapped around the circuit board, with buttons and stuff on it.

No sane man would complain about the case of the PSP. I don't believe it.

[SirBruce]

I'm not saying I agree; I'm just saying I'm pretty sure that's what he meant.

Bruce

[schild]

I'm not saying I agree; I'm just saying I'm pretty sure that's what he meant.

Hopefully. I think what it comes down to is that I'm a freight train and he stepped in front without research on how to get me to put on the brakes. When they implement PvP in CoH, I'll attack him with my anime inspired skirt wearing giant doe-eyed supervillian.

[eldaec]

The iPod is NOT a very high quality hi-fi system.

I was probably being unclear - my point was that the PSP isn't such a thing rather than that the ipod is. The ipod justifies its price through uber marketing and pretty design wheras Sony's marketing department have been on extended vacation ever since the PS2 launch, hence most of the company's problems.

Isn't the real mission going to be finding a decent case for the damned thing and it's precious weak screen?

Fair point - though this is another thing that the 'mass market' won't have much time for.

And by 'box' I meant the device itself as per SB's post - not packaging.

It looks only slightly better than the PS1&2, which were the two of the ugliest pieces of consumer electronics released in the last ten years, only they weren't in a market where looks matter. If there is to be a 'breakthrough' device purchased by significant numbers of those who are not already 'our people', it won't look like that. And it's unlikey to be black. Unless we are all mysteriously transported back to the late 80s.

You are far too lazy (as you put it) and completely uninformed to pass judgement the way you have.

Hell yes, but when did that last stop someone around here. For the record though, I have no particular judgement to pass on the gaming capabilities of this device. I don't doubt they can be characterised as 'a bit better than the DS, oh and with actual games available'. I just don't see people wandering about desperate to buy a portable gaming system, if only they could find one that also allows them to watch movies on a tiny screen or listen to music through a device not quite as good or cool as the MP3 player they already own.

play games over the net from any hot spot (it even apparently has logins and whatnot for shit with security - according to OPM),

OK, so that would make me moderately interested when travelling and when the price has halved. It wouldn't interest anyone else I know in the real world one iota though, because either they don't travel enough or they don't game enough (or, more commonly, at all).

[schild]

I was probably being unclear - my point was that the PSP isn't such a thing rather than that the ipod is. The ipod justifies its price through uber marketing and pretty design wheras Sony's marketing department have been on extended vacation ever since the PS2 launch, hence most of the company's problems.

I can't help but say, this whole claim is positively ludicrous. They have more than a majority of the console gaming market for a reason. Marketing  and 3rd party support. The same will go for the PSP.

Isn't the real mission going to be finding a decent case for the damned thing and it's precious weak screen?

Fair point - though this is another thing that the 'mass market' won't have much time for.

They've done it for something like 25,000,000 gameboys and they'll do it for however many PSPs sell. There's a reason over 10 companies in the US alone are making cases for the PSP. It isn't because no one is going to buy them.

It looks only slightly better than the PS1&2, which were the two of the ugliest pieces of consumer electronics released in the last ten years, only they weren't in a market where looks matter. If there is to be a 'breakthrough' device purchased by significant numbers of those who are not already 'our people', it won't look like that. And it's unlikey to be black. Unless we are all mysteriously transported back to the late 80s.

Yea, I know. I mean who would've thought. I'm sure the high end Onkyo shit (Integra and Integra Research) and the black Bang & Olufsen stuff (their best selling, along with maroon), and all the black speakers JBL sells, and oh wait. Black is the hottest thing since black. Hi, welcome to 2005. There's a reason the only limited edition iPod ever is black. Black sells like a motherfucker. Just ask Puff Daddy, Lil Romeo and, oh wait Nintendo, who brought out black in their second line of SPs. The only guaranteed color to sell in America is black. You must understand, when I talk about dominating the PSP, I don't care about Europe. Not because I don't like Europe - in most cases I'd rather live there. But frankly, the gaming market over there is total shit across the board compared to Korea, Japan, and Canada/USA. That's also may explain why you aren't impressed with the marketing. Sony is choosing the US over the EU. Not surprisingly, they'll sell 5 times as much over here. This is *still about money,* right?

Hell yes, but when did that last stop someone around here.

We're proud of our google-fu at f13.

For the record though, I have no particular judgement to pass on the gaming capabilities of this device. I don't doubt they can be characterised as 'a bit better than the DS, oh and with actual games available'.

A bit better? A BIT BETTER? Watch your fucking mouth! The DS is nominally better than the Super Nintendo and just barely worse than the N64. That's 2 full generations worth of graphical gap. The PS2 on the other hand is as powerful - despite different architecture - as the PS2. That's current generation. This is the first time a mass market portable (in other words, Gameboy and beyond) has ever truly met the modern standard. The Game Gear was Almost as good as the Genesis. The Nomad was a generation late and too big and too battery hungry. The Turbo Grafix 16 pocket thing..was....goddamn that system was terrible. Bonk Uber Alles. Anyway, you get my point. The PSP is modern. Up to date. In the mix. Nothing else has been.

I just don't see people wandering about desperate to buy a portable gaming system, if only they could find one that also allows them to watch movies on a tiny screen or listen to music through a device not quite as good or cool as the MP3 player they already own.

1. I've been using a Gameboy of some sort for as long as I can remember. I'm playing games that belong on a system that was out over 12 years ago. That just ain't right.

2. This isn't about watching movies OR listening to music. The unit does both. And with proper compression and ratio, you can fit 3 movies onto a gig memory stick. Once again, I've own an iPod for a while, have 8.5 or so of the 10 gigs filled up. I've maybe listened to 100 of the songs. I listen to music in the car on my CD player when I drive. Not anywhere else. I'd rather whip out a PSP and watch an episode of 24 or Alias or Lost or whatever or play Lumines while waiting in line for whatever god-awful movie I'm seeing this week. Maybe you just don't get portable gaming at all...

OK, so that would make me moderately interested when travelling and when the price has halved. It wouldn't interest anyone else I know in the real world one iota though, because either they don't travel enough or they don't game enough (or, more commonly, at all).

I have lots of gamer friends, you don't. I'm missing the point. Need I point out that I'm in fanboi mode right now, I care about 2 things: Me getting a PSP. My friends getting a PSP. Also, you're the only person I've ever heard say they don't like the way the PSP looks. In other words, an anomaly. Just wait til you see one.

[Hanzii]

- What on earth makes you think people want to watch movies on a handheld device? The one single time I can see that being useful is long haul plane trips. Long haul planes almost all have personal movie screens already.

Every single hardware company out there (apart from Apple who has never done anything first) believes that you want some sort of portable movie player.
Bill Gates, who knows a bit about making money, believes that you want a portable media center.
Maybe you're the exception here?!

And a lot of long haul carriers don't have personal movie screens and with the advance of the budget carriers, the trend is towards less inflight options (like entertainment) and lower prices. So this will be a great thing for any flight over 1 hour - which is most.

And I walked the PSP past our graphics department which is all women, all Apple users and all non-gamers. And they thought it looked pretty darn good. So maybe you're like the people who deem the iPod ugly and ghey and unable to recognize great design unless it bites you?

[Toast]

Schild-
Please keep in mind that you have some influence here, and that I am prone to run out and buy gadgets.

These gadgets drain cash flow from other more responsible uses while making my girlfriend mad.

Your subtle fanboi techniques are seductive. Maybe these things will sell out for a while until my own fanboiism subsides.

[stray]

(apart from Apple who has never done anything first)

Had to slip that in, didn't you?

Beware of the Apple fanboi. Schild's PSP thing ain't shit compared to me.

Here's a few for the list:

First Personal Computer 
First consumer oriented UNIX
SCSI
Firewire
First to abandon the Floppy Disk  

And just to mention: They might not be as innovative as some claim to them to be, but their real strength is in bringing otherwise unknown or barely used technologies to the forefront (GUI, True Type, Audio, Rendevous, Quicktime, Wireless Networking, DVDR's, etc., etc.).


Anyways, I wish I could swing this back on topic, but I can't. Apologies. Perhaps I'll just say that the only "handheld gaming device" that would mark a "cultural shift" would be one made by Apple. Just because.  

[voodoolily]

At the risk of estranging myself from schild, who I consider a homie, I must also admit that I prolly won't get a PSP until they are practically obsolete.
And here's why:
1) by the time I get one, there'll be a shitload more games available
2) I won't hafta be a guinea pig to figure out which games suck - y'all will do that for me!
3) it'll be cheaper (and yes, this actually does matter to some serious gamers - remember, I'm a fucking biologist, not a developer/code monkey)
4) I just got around to getting a GBA-SP and it's still fun
5) I don't want to help deliver a finishing blow to my beloved Nintendo.

I doubt the PSP will be their death knell, but I would simply die, DIE! if Nintendo went under and I couldn't have Zelda and Mario any more. I had already heard the rumors years ago that Nintendo is doing so poorly in Japan that GC games will stop being produced entirely, and this doesn't seem to be the case. And since Nintendo has already had the edge on handheld technology thus far, what to stop them from leapfrogging ahead again? The DS is rapidly gaining obsolescence, but I think that's just because it tried too hard and seems gimmicky.

Forgive me schild!

[MaceVanHoffen]

I don't think the PSP will be a cultural phenomenon, either.  However, I don't doubt for a moment that Nintendo is in serious trouble.

I love my Gamecube, but Nintendo as a company is just going in a direction that is out of touch with the average gamer.  More importantly, with the average gamer over 25, since that's generally who has the discretionary income to buy these sorts of things.  Cutesy or not, Nintendo consistently nails gameplay far better than their competition.  But as a business they've adopted some practices which actively discourage 3rd party development, which is becoming more and more important as gamers get older and become more savvy.  You can only choke down so many Zelda, Mario, and Metroid titles before you want something ... else.  And the DS?  Just not seeing the attraction to dual screen games.

I have been and will likely continue to be a Nintendo fanboi, but come on!  The PSP looks damn nice.  It's also got more games (both in quantity and in breadth of genres) at launch than a lot of consoles have had.  Cultural phenomenon? Nah.  Nintendo killer? Very possibly.

[Lum]

I'm probably going to get one of these eventually, but I really don't want to spend more than $200 on a handheld. (I was going to get a DS, but the game selection is pretty meh). Hopefully, I'll be able to get one for $200 from the eBay aftermarket before E3 (my next out of town trip, looks like).

Since schild seems to know more about the PSP than Sony at this point - let's talk video. How can I take my collection of WMVs and DivX files that I've taped off cable and copy them to my PSP? Is that even possible?

[voodoolily]

  Cultural phenomenon? Nah.  Nintendo killer? Very possibly.

Ack! Say it ain't so. There have been other innovative developments that didn't put a chink in Nintendo's armor, right? Like X-Box Live (and despite the success of Halo 2 I still don't really consider the X-Box a venerable foe to either Nintendo or Sony).

I'm hoping that Nintendo will at least realize that they're not holding all the cards anymore and perhaps the business tactics that are potentially contributing to their demise can be shifted. I don't think it's already too late.

Also, if the average gamer is in their mid-twenties with a semi-disposable income, does that include the average handheld user? I still think of handhelds as having kid-dominated usage. Am I totally off-base?

[ahoythematey]

I don't think it's already too late.

Likewise, particularly when I think about some of the whispers I've heard concerning the DS.  I hope they are shown as more than mere rumors come E³.

I still question what is so awesome about spending $400+ on a handheld and games, but then I guess that's just the way fanboys work sometimes.  Us Nintendo junkies pick up some bad habits ourselves, but nowadays it's most definitely not to look cool-as-shit, since Nintendo is apparently out of the "hipness-loop".

[Viin]

Saw this on slashdot: PSPCasting

Looks pretty spiffy. However, I too will be waiting to buy one. Maybe this summer since it seems I'll be travelling a lot this fall.

[MaceVanHoffen]

There have been other innovative developments that didn't put a chink in Nintendo's armor, right? Like X-Box Live (and despite the success of Halo 2 I still don't really consider the X-Box a venerable foe to either Nintendo or Sony).

They didn't put a short-term chink in Nintendo's armor, but I think that's because Nintendo has a rabid following overseas which the X-Box lacked at launch.  Also, Nintendo has strong brand recognition across generations.  Who hasn't heard of Mario, even among non-gamers?

But the trend is starting to turn.  The Gamecube has never been able to compete in number of units sold in the US.  IMHO, that's because most adult gamers just aren't into the cute games that are out for it.  The X-Box has boobies and blood FOR TEH WIN.  And it's not just content.  Nintendo needs to rethink how it handles 3rd party game shops and adopt a more open media standard (DVD anyone?).

I'm hoping that Nintendo will at least realize that they're not holding all the cards anymore and perhaps the business tactics that are potentially contributing to their demise can be shifted. I don't think it's already too late.

God, I hope it's not too late.  I want Nintendo to rip the blood-spattered head off the competition.  But it may take a shakeup in Nintendo management to do that.  As a company, they seem committed to the current course of 1st party games, subpar graphics (not important to me but important to the company's future success), and lack of features like online play that gamers consistently say they want.

Also, if the average gamer is in their mid-twenties with a semi-disposable income, does that include the average handheld user? I still think of handhelds as having kid-dominated usage. Am I totally off-base?

That's definitely changing.  It could be that I live near Silicon Valley, but I know so many people with handhelds.  Us gamer kids who grew up with consoles and handhelds (although technologically inferior) tend to want more of the same as adults.  There's also the nostalgia factor of playing classic games on a portable, which has served Nintendo well so far.  I suspect the portable market already has a significant number of adults, that number will probably grow to the majority of the market in the next 5-10 years.  Looking back at how long the Gameboy family of handhelds as been viable, 5-10 years from now may very well see a complete shift in which company has the dominant market share.  The PSP might give that to Sony, if Nintendo isn't careful.


EDIT: I spel gud.

[schild]

Here's a few for the list:

First Personal Computer 
First consumer oriented UNIX
SCSI
Firewire
First to abandon the Floppy Disk  

Two button mice. None of that other shit means anything.

(I should say), I was an apple fanboi for a LONG time. Then I realized that all the people I hung out with were just terrible.

[schild]

Hopefully, I'll be able to get one for $200 from the eBay aftermarket before E3 (my next out of town trip, looks like).

Neg. There's a SLIM chance they'll bring out the non-value pack $200 version at E3. Is $50 really that bad? As much as it hurts going down, all the shit in the value pack does add roughly $50.

Since schild seems to know more about the PSP than Sony at this point - let's talk video. How can I take my collection of WMVs and DivX files that I've taped off cable and copy them to my PSP? Is that even possible?

DivX is easy, particularly since some of it is already mpeg4. Now, WMV, not so easy. Use premier (which I'm pretty sure in the latest version can accept WMVs), wait, no. Screw it.

http://www.doom9.net - They should have all the guides you need to do anything. If you rip a dvd and comparess the VOB files down to the screen rez of the psp in mp4 format, you should be able to fit 3 full 90-120 minute movies on one 1gig memory stick.

[stray]

Memory Sticks suck ass. In general, really. Not just with this thing.

If I'm going to purchase the PSP at all, it'll be one with a hard drive installed.

[Rasputin]

I'm sorry, I can't hear you, I'm too busy playing Daigasso! Band Brothers and waiting for AOK and Katamari Damacy DS.

[Hoax]

You guys are all fucking crazy...

Spending that much money on a handheld?  Avg consumer?  Nope and nope.  Many gamers will be totally turned off by the price on this one.

Ipod's work because all guys like cool tech toys and even lawyers/doctors can own an ipod and bring it to work with nobody complaining.  PSP will not reach Ipod status due to the fact its still a "nerdy gaming thingy" to most jock/chicks.

Anyways, I dont care, handhelds all fucking suck as far as I'm concerned.  I dont get sick reading a book in a car/plane and since computer's have stolen all other reading time from me I'm happy to stay the hell away from $250 devices that would only be really cool if everyone else had one.

[Shockeye]

waiting for AOK and Katamari Damacy DS.

It seems there's a lot of waiting for decent stuff on the DS. I'll take a pass on both the DS and the PSP. I have better things to spend my money on, like a big-ass aquarium for my kid because my wife told me I had to and I'm not holding any kind of grudge against her on that or anything.

Where was I? Oh wait, PSP, DS, meh.